Jamie Lauder

9.5

Tasted at Taiheizan kura in Akita, Tohoku, Japan with owners Shin and Eiko Kodama.
Incredibly perfumed with white flowers.
Yellow plums, ginger, apricot ripe pear with rich white stone peach.
Minerality, crisp, luscious and mouth feel for days.

— 7 months ago

Jamie Lauder

8.9

Hakutsuru Kura in Kobe, Japan.
Lighter, medium bodied sake.
Bright green melon, white flowers and lemon grass.
Smooth acidity but not overwhelming..
Easy drinking Nihon shu with a clean and fresh finish.
If you wanted to introduce someone to sake..Nihon shu…this is a good choice.
— a year ago

Diane M. Napolitano

9.6

Pears and flowers, like roses and marigolds. Fun stuff! A real find at my local Wegmans ❤️🍶🍐 — 3 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.1

This is the limited release, dry hopped, junmai ginjo saké with 5 grams residual sugar. Made in Brooklyn.

A very faint blush and a tropical IPA nose this is an incredibly refreshing sake. Medium bodied with stone fruit and melon rind. Went great with salmon sashimi, chicken teriyaki, and stir fried vegetables. — 4 years ago

Jamie Lauder

9.1

Taiheizan Junmai Kimoto.
White nougat, ripe pear, almonds and dark Macintosh apples.
Crisp and vivid minerality with a bold firm finish. 15% ABV. Made with local spring water.
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The brother to this sake is Junmai Kimoto Shirakami.
The same rice and yeasts are used but the water is trucked from Shirakami mountain range 60 kilometres north of the kura.
Fresh cut grass on the nose. Crisp apple, citrus, grassy and snappy with a round, clean finish. 17% ABV.
Amazing how a water source can greatly affect flavour profile. — 7 months ago

Michael Malpiedi

9.0

Rouge - not as cool as the blanc. Delicate, ethereal, mild, and gently sweet. Koji, raisin, cranberry, and toast. — 2 years ago

Jamie Lauder

9.0

Yoshi no gawa is the kura (brewery) in Niigata, Japan. They were founded in 1548. Yes, you read that right.
Gohyaku Mangoku rice is used. Milled to Honjozo sake….35% removed with 65% remaining. A small amount of brewers alcohol is added.
When chilled, it’s creamy with crisp green melon, minerals and white nougat.
It changes with a couple of degrees in temperature.
As it warms, more richer, earthy rounder mushroom flavours.
Snow, colder temperatures, beautiful water, experienced Toji and top quality rice are essential to produce award winning nihon shu.
Niigata excels in all categories. — 3 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.3

This wine has an indigo color in the glass. The nose is full of dark fruit, with blackberry, plum and black currant coming into play. Notes of cigars, leather, white pepper and funky earth make me think the Syrah plays a much larger part than its percentage indicates. The palate has all the black fruit and some ripe, red cherries in addition. The acidity has some zip to it and the tannins are firm enough for brisket. The finish isn’t terribly long, but it holds the fruit flavors for a delicious few minutes. — 8 months ago

Jamie Lauder

9.0

Okunomatsu kura was founded in Fukushima in 1716 and is now led by its 19th president Joji Yusa. This sake won the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Gold medal award in 2018 beating out 1,639 other sake labels.
Lychee, orange blossom and white flowers on the nose.
Bright, silky and a bit viscous with honey dew melon, white chocolate and minerality.
Ya ya karakuchi describes a sake as a nice balance between acidity and sweetness. We had soba with duck, shiitake mushrooms and grilled leeks. — 2 years ago

Abe Glass

9.0

Fabulous! Local and wonderful. So pleased to know that this was born in our backyard! — 3 years ago