Junmai Daiginjo

To improve the quality, we decided to polish 5% more. Complexity and elegance of taste are surely increased by its 5% difference. In the past, it was impossible to make this improvement when our production size had been smaller, because cost of production could not be covered. Now, we make Junmai-Daiginjo sake for 35,000 koku (=6,300kl) per year, and are able to manage the increase of polishing ratio. It will be our pleasure if you enjoy Dassai 45.

Light, balanced, clean and easy drinking, this sake is a star. It’s wonderful for beginners to get into sake and fantastic for others to simply enjoy. There are wonderful fruits on the palate without coming off too sweet. Just fantastic.

Dassai blends the best ingredients with old-fashioned experience and cutting edge technology. Polished to an unprecedented 23% polish ratio (a process that takes 4 days), Dassai Junmai Daiginjo is super-refined. The nose shows off with lots of berry fruit and candy-like yeast aromas. Hints of pear, cotton candy, violet and the undeniable taste of yamadanishiki rice linger on the palate. The finish is lush and tropical, yet dry. Silky smooth on the palate, this is very special sake to be enjoyed on a special occasion.

A unique yeast derived from flowers gives this exceptionally elegant sake a pronounced floral bouquet. Tones of licorice and fresh herbs, coupled with a hint of asian pear, make this a perfect example of everything Junmai Daiginjo has to offer. Serve as an aperitif, or with salads and lighter fare. Pairs well with oysters, oil rich foods, nutty grains, cheeses and milky sauces.

Shirayuki Banzaimon is one of the most premium Junmai Daiginjo products. It is complex, slender, fragrant and aromatic, with a gentle and rounded flavour of peach, pineapple, mango, walnut and cooked fruit. This premium drop is full-bodied, with a smooth texture, a well-balanced acidity and a lingering aftertaste.

The clear taste has an underlying richness that creates a natural, elegant aroma and a gentle, mellow texture of remarkable delicacy.

The nose on this very smooth futsushu is a mild collection of snowmelt, cherry and balsa wood. This is a very talented sake that is light and dry but so velvety smooth and not crisp. Round and clean this brew is extremely quaffable. Can water be dry? Well this sake drinks like dry water with hints of rice and powder sugar elements. As the fluid warms look for some vanilla tones to surface, but balance is the key to this "Classic's" success. An everyday drinking sake that tastes like royalty in a glass. WORD: Smooth WINE: easy reds/dry whites BEER: soft ales FOODS: Clean and pristine fare from the ocean, air and ground.

Junmai Daiginjo

A remarkable sake from Katsuyama brewery in Akita prefecture. Akatsuki Junmai Daiginjo is a “centrifuge” sake, meaning the mash is separated from the sake using an expensive, space age centrifuge machine. This sake is amazingly complex and comes with many tantalizing opportunities for pairing with both western and eastern cuisines

The sake brewing conditions in this area are beyond perfect - the grounds are covered in a fine morning mist, and the soil used to grow the rice is rich in calcium and montmorillonite, and Honda Shoten will only do business with farmers who grow as organically and naturally as possible. The rice is dried naturally, making for high-quality brewing. Boasts a very light nose of honeysuckle and musk melon, a light to medium body and a gorgeous true depth of flavor, and a clean cut finish.

In 1806, the Senkin brewery was established. Their brand is based off the Japanese crane and their name is derived from the words “wizard” and “bird”. The water used in brewing is from the same source that is used to grow rice. They call it a “domaine” like the french term for wine producer who own their own vineyard. A very stylish sake that pairs well with Japanese and French cuisine. Keeping the unique Kame no O sake rice trait alive, it has a balanced flavor with accents of lychee and cranberry backed by firm mineral. This pairs especially well with Japanese cuisine.

Katokichibee Shoten Factory was founded in 1860 and thrives to this day, thanks to the hard work for 11 generations of one family. Great milestone in the company's success began in 1928 when the sake of this particular producer was chosen as a ritual drink at the ceremony of ascent to the tone of the Japanese Emperor Hirohito. Until now, this drink is used in official ceremonies both in Japan and in the embassies of the United States and Canada. In Katokichibee Shoten in the manufacture of sake hold sacred tradition and exclusive ingredients are used. These include: water with a unique composition, which is obtained from sources of filled thanks to the melting snow on the peaks of Mount Hakusan, special types of rice and yeast. More: http://winestyleonline.com

Ishikawa’s 17th century Kutani Yaki porcelain artwork gracing this bottle helps tell the story that this sake has been made with local ingredients only. Discovered 100 years ago, the yeast known as kuratsuki kobo is especially unique as it exists naturally within the brewery itself, and is therefore only found in Nishide’s sakes. This Junmai Daiginjo exhibits notes of apricot and young banana that starts off soft and mild, giving way to the smooth umami of sake rice, finishing dry with balanced acidity.

This ultra popular brewery in Japan has a huge following and for good reason – they make great sake. Their Dassai 50 and 39 and 23 are extremely well made sakes that drink velvety with layers of flavor, and so it is no surprise that their super secret “Beyond” project is even better then the others. In a word – it is! Talk about a sake that is the perfect combination of feel great and taste great. Beyond is just that, it is beyond great. There are certain sakes that one should not miss in their sake drinking lifetimes and this is one of them. When great sake makers claim that they have made a “great” sake then you should take their word for it. WORD: Velvety WINE: Round Reds/Layered Whites with soft body BEER: Creamy Belgians FOODS: If you must! Shellfish and oysters.

A Junmai Daiginjo "Premium" Sake

Tatenyan (who is a modeled after an actual cat who lives at the brewery) is the Tatenokawa's official mascot. One day she snuck into the brewery as a stray and has lived there ever since. With a reserved aroma, well balanced rice umami and a round flavor, Tatenyan Junmai Daiginjo is great served chilled or at room temperature with sushi, sashimi, or grilled fish. This sake also pairs well with sparsely seasoned meat dishes like pork shabu shabu and yakitori with salt."

A Junmai Daiginjo sake imported from Yamagata, Japan. Handcrafted in small batches at the legendary Matsuyama Brewery. Crafted from Yamada Nishiki rice – the best sake rice in the world – and polished so only 40% of the grain remains, leaving only the purest portion of the rice for the sake brewing process. Made from four natural ingredients: Yamada Nishiki rice, natural spring water, a blend of famed #9 yeast and Yamagata yeast strains, and koji made by hand in a traditional cedar-lined room. With only four ingredients, Sake is one of the purest alcoholic beverages on the planet. Completely gluten-free, sulfite-free, 5x less acidity than white wine, and no preservatives.

Discover Kinoene Junmai Ginjo Beer. Is a carbonated, fermented alcoholic beverage. You can learn more about this beer and its availability here.

The impact on the palate is soft and rich but not cloying. A gentle sweetness envelops the tongue while the clean, high-strung acidity does the work. It has loads of body but is able to maintain tightness and structure. While spicy honeydew and dry anise dominate up front, the finish is dry with good spicy white pepper and jasmine notes.

The soft water of Fukui, combined with the robust Kokuryu brewing style, produces a sake that is well-rounded, gently aromatic and surprisingly incisive. This is a classic daiginjo sake, first introduced in 1975.