Saturday, June 13, 2009

One heck of a double play!

Hot off the presses, so to say, well perhaps more like: slightly chilled off the floor of the store warehouse, I have some very hot news.
Just in through the doors of our warehouse yesterday, and much to my surprise, came an incredible double play from our friends over at Nishida shuzo.

Denshu / 田酒
Yamadaho / 山田穂
and
Tankanwataribune / 短稈渡船
Junmai Daiginjo / 純米大吟醸
Alcohol: 16~17%
Polish: 40%
At the risk of looking like a Denshu maniac (although a do hold a dear appreciation for the stuff), I decided to post this set (without tasting notes and the likes), because I thought it was just too amazing to not let my readers in Japan know about it.
It is a little hard to put my excitement into words as I write this post, however I will do my best.
This set of Junmai Daiginjo sakes, from Denshu, features the mother and father strains of Yamada Nishiki, one of the most famous and widely used sake rice today. to me this is an amazing chance to not only directly compare the differences in rice type in sake, but also an incredible chance to better understand the origins of the famous Yamada Nishiki rice. Not to mention that this is some crazy good sake.
I am going to break off from my usual stance with this blog, a position I have taken in hopes of having this blog be a center for information, and not selling sake, and provide information on price and how to get this sake. I do this in the hopes that if this sounds appealing to you, and you can afford it, that you will try this sake out if you can.
I only hurry with this one because this particular set is limited to 30 sets. That's it. when these 30 are gone there will be no more until next year if at all.
The set runs for ¥10,200 and you can order by phone at: 011(716) 5174 or FAX: 011(716) 5175. We ship to all of Japan with payment on delivery by JP postal service money order. If you do not speak Japanese, ask for Carlin or Rie, and our store staff will pass the call on.
I really hope that you will take the chance to get in on this, as it is really to good to pass up. If I had the money to buy this set (spent it all on the wedding (^_^; ) I would be enjoying this set with all of you.
Sorry for the long post...this should be it for a little while.
Meishu no Yutaka staff
Carlin

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Celebrating this year's Utou with a toast to last year's!

Coming back full circle, back to the same brewery as the very first sake posted in this blog, we find ourselves back at Nishida Shuzo, makers of the famous "Denshu."

What I would like to present to you today, however, (not Denshu) is one of the lesser known labels produced by Nishida Shuzo: Utou!
This years Utou was just just released a couple of weeks ago, and to celebrate it's release, I would like to do a spot on last year's Utou, which has aged beautifully over the last year.


Utou / 善知鳥
Daiginjo / 大吟醸
Alcohol: 16~17% / Polish: 40%
SMV: +3
Nishida Shuzo / Aomori Prefecture

Tasting notes:
On the nose: Very clean, slightly sweet, light, and fruity.

On the palate: Light to medium bodied. Dry with an underlying fruity sweetnes that rounds the mouthfeel. Quick clean finish that leaves you reaching for another sip.

Other notes:
  • Utou is a much lesser known label from Nishida Shuzo; meaning that it may be a little bit harder to find stores that carry it.
  • Utou is a sake for the more serious sake aficionado, as it is a far more complex sake than your average table sake. you will also find yourself digging a little bit further into your pockets as well.
  • This post is on last year's Utou, but look forward to (hopefully) a posting on this year's Utou in future posts.
  • Look for other great sake from Nishida Shuzo under the Denshu and Kikuizumi labels.
  • I don't think you fine folks over in the states will be able to find the Utou label in stores, but if you have the chance, and the interest, ask your local Sake shop, you never know.
Playing a little bit of catch up here, but I would also like to up the pace of my posting a little bit. Please feel free to post any suggestions or requests for reviews of sakes you have seen, or have caught your attention. I will be attaching an email address to this account pretty soon, so I will also start accepting questions and comments by email!

Thank you to all who have been reading, and I hope that this blog can eventually become a one stop sake notebook for all!

Cheers,

Meishu no Yutaka staff
Carlin

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Another great from our friends at Heiwa-shuzou!

After a short hiatus here (Busy getting married), It's back to blogging! (See Mansaku no Hana's blog {5/24 posting}, or Nanbu Bijin's blog for pictures!)

But back to business...
Heiwa-shuzo's brain child, the Tsuru-ume series, hits yet another home run!




Tsuru-ume Kanjuku Nigori / 鶴梅完熟にごり
Liqueur
Alcohol: 8% / Distilled Alc. base
SMV: N/A
Heiwa Shuzo / Wakayama Prefecture

Tasting notes:
On the nose: Very sweet with a bit of a bite that makes your nose tingle. Strong plum with hints of peach.

On the palate: Sweet but not overly sweet. Strong peach up front with plum bringing up the rear. Good acid base gives it a nice roundness and slight depth of flavor.

Other notes:
  • Now, when I heard the word Nigori (unfiltered, or cloudy) in combination with liqueur, the first word that came out of my mouth was "WHAT?" Nigori, often associated with Nigori sake, or unfiltered sake, isn't a word you hear too often when talking about liqueur, but it does pop up now and then. This is however, the first time, in any of our memories, that we have had a liqueur labeled "Nigori" in the store.


  • I took the above picture to illustrate the differences in clarity between the Normal Kanjuku and the Kanjuku Nigori. The Nigori coming in the cool reverse label on the left.
  • Being unfiltered gives the Nigori a much stronger palate of peach, one of the ingredients (Kanjuku is a plum peach mix), although the nose doesn't change all that much.
  • We just received our sample bottle a day or two ago, and it will be available in about a week or so in store.
Untill next time!

Cheers!

Meishu no Yutaka staff
Carlin