Norman

9.1

Stella (すてら) Premium Drip Muroka Genshu Yamada

Brewery: Inaba Shuzo, Tsukuba area, Ibaraki, Japan
Classification: Junmai Daiginjo
Style: Shizuku (雫酒, bag-dripped, no pressing), Muroka Nama Genshu
Rice: Yamada Nishiki 100%
Polishing: 40%
ABV: 16%
Bottle: 720ml
Bottled: 2024.5
Brewery-limited (蔵元限定)
Importer: Mutual Trading Co. (El Monte, CA)

A micro-brewery at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba, run by Nobuko Inaba, doing every step by hand. The Premium uses only the first free-run drops from the hanging bags, bottled unfiltered, undiluted and unpasteurized. Expect pear, muscat and floral notes on a soft, round palate.

Tasted at Sushi Kinsen, Redwood City, 10/24/2026. Good. Would have gone with this if I hadn't tried the others ;)
— 10 days ago

Matthew Cohen

9.4

Elegant t yellow flowers.

Palate: hint of spritz. Elegant fruit.

Long — 2 years ago

Norman

9.0

Sake World 2024 Had to judge given it’s the same glass throughout the tasting but these were nice. Actually had the 35 which was fun to try. I would probably lean towards the Japan based ones unless this is substantially cheaper and I could try head to head. Blue is made in NYC. — 2 years ago

Noren Kawakami

10

Born Chogin Junmai Daiginjo — 5 years ago

Hiroyuki Hikichi

9.3

I found a nice brand brewing in Gunma Prefecture. — 7 years ago

Ichiro Kawachi

9.3

Enjoyed both chilled and kan. Tried w/ blue cheese - pretty good aishou — 9 years ago

Andy Tam

9.3

鳳凰美田 from 小林酒造. Fragrance develops and exerts more floral as it warms to room temperature. Smooth taste and elegant body 40% special A yamada rice from Mita. Paired with stewed smelt and cured Hokkaido uni on spinach. ¥1800 @ayatomi — 9 years ago

Rob McCaughey

9.2

Classic no 9 yeast from kanagawa.
Yamada Nishiki / Gohyakumangoku (50%)
Lots of ginjo-ka with a slither of sea salt — 10 years ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.1

Cold, filtered sake. Polished Yamada Nishiki rice, slightly sweet flavor even with 15% ABV. Floral flavors with cucumber, melon and honeydew. — 6 months ago

with Chad

Norman

9.3

手取川 ひやおろし “Scarlet Mountain” (Tedorigawa Hiyaoroshi “Scarlet Mountain”)
• Rice: Yoshida’s autumn junmai (hiyaoroshi-style) release: Koji rice Yamada Nishiki and kake rice Ishikawamon.
• Polish ratio: 60% (per Yoshida’s autumn junmai seasonal spec). 
• ABV: 15%
• Sake type: Junmai Hiyaoroshi (純米 ひやおろし)
• Junmai = pure rice (no added brewer’s alcohol)
• Hiyaoroshi = an autumn release that’s been matured/rested after brewing so it drinks rounder and more umami-forward than a just-released sake (it’s a seasonal “timing/style” designation, not a single fixed recipe)
• Brewery: 吉田酒造店 (Yoshida Sake Brewery)
• Location: Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県), Japan
• Bottle size: 720ml
• Importer: World Sake Imports
• Date code: “2025.09”

How it drinks: This is the “fall food sake” lane. The core impression is rice-weight and savory smoothness, not high aromatics. You get that autumn-rested integration: less sharp edges, more umami and round mid-palate. It’s the bottle that gets better once soy, grilled notes, mushrooms, and richer fish show up.

Why it reads “autumn”: Hiyaoroshi tends to land in a sweet spot where amino acids and residual extract feel more knit together, so you perceive more umami and less angularity. It’s not necessarily sweeter, it’s just more “settled,” and your palate reads that as depth.

ChatGPT above.

Had this second and as much as the info above says it will read less angular/sharp edges it has some rough ones. Banana strongly on the nose. Reads rougher to me as it’s not silky smooth like the other bottle. The alcohol is more present and the weight on the palate isnt as easily perceived due to that. As much as I preferred the other I think this was fantastic with the warmer foods at the end of the omakase and especially when the fatty otoro came out. Was able to stand up to that wher tbe delicate prior bottle would have been lost. — 10 months ago

Jeff Ball

9.5

This sake was amazing! Mint and herbs on the nose. Pleasant, dry, effervescent, wheat on the palette, concludes with a smooth, earthy finish. — 3 years ago

Jamie Lauder

9.7

From Hyogo prefecture. Honda Shoten Tatsuriki Daigingyo. Ripe melon and golden pear on the nose.
This nihon-shu has a viscous quality. Yellow plum, ripe honeydew melon, apricot with a spicy cinnamon finish. We had duck soba with local Matsutake mushrooms and green onions charred in duck fat with this sake. — 6 years ago

Naoki Kondo

9.1

Junmaiginjo gohyakumangoku. Bought at Saga — 9 years ago

Ichiro Kawachi

9.3

From Nakayama sensei. Tojo yamada nishki. Floral / fantastic sanmi / could go well with blue cheese — 9 years ago

Norman

9.0

This is just ok. I’m not rating it anywhere near where others have. Aromatics are light. Light on sweetness and also power. It fades fast and the weight on the power is light too. Daishichi “Minowamon” (大七 箕輪門)


Sake type: Junmai Daiginjo (純米大吟醸 = no added distilled alcohol, daiginjo-grade polish)
Starter method: Kimoto (生酛 = traditional, naturally built lactic acidity; tends to add depth and structure) 
Rice: Yamada Nishiki (the gold seal indicates, and it’s the standard spec for Minowamon) 
Polish ratio: 50% using Daishichi’s “super-flat” polishing
ABV: 15% (back label) 
Brewery / Place: Daishichi Sake Brewery, Fukushima (Nihonmatsu) — 10 months ago

Norman

9.1

Born “Dreams Come True” is a Junmai Daiginjo from Kato Kichibee Shoten in Fukui Prefecture. It’s aged for five years at –5 °C (some sources mention –8 °C). This is supposed to be one of the top Born sakes and it would be interesting to try with a couple others side by side. It’s a liter bottle and when it got opened it was on the cold side. As it warmed and opened up you can see why people call it flamboyant. It becomes a big, powerful sake with big flavors and a long finish. Heavy weight on the palate but very smooth and as they say velvety. It was nice but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it - not sure why other than maybe how it started out which was a bit sharp, angular and lean. Need to pull these earlier. — a year ago

Norman

9.1

Yamada rice so typical flavor. Clear, clean, SMV matches what I would expect. Slightly sweet with a little bit of an edge given the alcohol at 16%. Brewed by : Nagai Sake Inc. Gunma, Japan
Rice :
Yamada Nishiki
Polishing Rate: 50%
SMV :
+3
Acidity :
1.3 — 2 years ago

Ichiro Kawachi

9.2

Hiyaoroshi / yamada nishki / pale straw color - pure scent / unctuous rice “koku” / super clean finish — 8 years ago

K.k. Ong

9.3

Delightful sake! End up buying more back to drink. :) — 9 years ago

Noren Kawakami

10

Nice bouquet, slightly sweet / fruity, and on dry side. This is another good one from the Hokusetsu Brewery. — 9 years ago