Brooklyn Kura Junmai Ginjo Nama #14 750ml

A new batch of the Junmai Ginjo Nama from our friends at Brooklyn Kura. This sake is aromatically very complex, with cantaloupe, cantaloupe rind, banana, citrus, lemon rind, yellow flowers, yogurt, and a slightly green, grassy quality all present on the nose. The palate is bright, with great acidity, but still has the mouth-coating quality I've come to associate with Brooklyn Kura sake. It is drier than previous versions, but still comes in at a Sake Meter Value (Nihonshudo) of -1, making it just a tiny touch off-dry, though this is balanced fantastically by the vibrant acidity. This sake is perfect as an apéritif, or with light fare, salads, crudo, or creamy cheeses. Oskar Kostecki

Brooklyn Kura #14 Junmai Ginjo Nama 750ml

Brooklyn Kura's Junmai Nama is made with rice polished to 70% as opposed to the 60% polishing ratio of the Junmai Ginjo, though the koji rice (what is used to start the saccharification and fermentation process) is polished to 60% for both styles. The Junmai Nama shows notes of honeydew melon, lemon, grapefruit, green apple, cucumber peel, lemon curd, yellow flowers and steamed rice. It is slightly earthier than the Junmai Ginjo, with less intense aromatics and a slightly more savory profile. Oskar Kostecki

Takatenjin Tokubetsu Junmai "Sword of the Samurai"

This honjozo (sake with brewer's alcohol added during the fermentation process, NOT after) is our ultimate summer session sake! Clean and refreshing, with a crisp aromatic profile, this is an everyday sipper of the highest caliber. Notes of melon, banana, cucumber water and white flowers drive the nose and the palate is bright, with good acidity and a graceful finish. Oskar Kostecki

Rihaku Wandering Poet Junmai Ginjo

Rihaku is located in the sparsely-populated Shimane Prefecture, north of Hiroshima. Made with 100% Yamadanishiki rice, this Junmai Ginjo is a classic of the style, aromatic but with depth and texture on the palate. Notes of banana, honeydew melon and meyer lemon are complimented by more savory undertones of steamed rice and a slight herbal quality, especially on the finish. Bright acidity adds to the framework of this sake, making this a wonderful pairing with a wide range of foods, both Japanese and occidental. Loved this sake with a crab cake roll and french fries. Oskar Kostecki

Chikurin 'Karoyaka' Junmai Ginjo 720ml

I met Niichiro Marumoto at a sake tasting hosted by Brooklyn Kura in June, and was immediately drawn to what he is doing at Marumoto Shuzo. Unlike about 99.9% of the industry, Niichiro-san farms all the rice that is used in the production of his sake. Since World War II, Japan has had a system where all rice production was controlled and distributed by the government. Only in the last few decades have sake producers been able to buy directly from rice farmers; but the rice market is still dominated by large regional co-ops with immense buying power. When Niichiro-san took over the family business at a young age, he quickly realized that a way for a small company like his to be not only sustainable going forward, but also to guarantee the best quality of raw material for their product was simply to grow everything himself. Thus far he has converted about 10% of his production to organic farming, and has a team at the brewery that does comparative analysis on each rice paddy to see how various agricultural practices have an impact on the finished product. I spent over 45 minutes chatting with Niichiro-san about rice farming, and feel like I left with more questions than I had at the start! This sake is wonderfully complex, effortlessly mixing the more fruit-forward elements of the classic Junmai Ginjo style with a savory undercurrent that resolves into a long and crisp finish. Notes of cucumber peel and melon rind, citrus, yellow flowers, acacia, nettles, and steamed rice dance across the palate, building in depth and intricacy. A sake I want to drink all the time. Oskar Kostecki

Manatsuru Yamahai Tokubetsu Junmai Murok Mana 1571

Full bodied and with great texture on the palate, this is a sake to build a meal around. Notes of steamed rice, green melon, lemon curd, pickled bamboo, lotus root, yogurt, black pepper, and a certain earthy, savory je ne sais quoi make this a very complex and engaging sake. It is bottled from a single tank, as the producer feels they want to preserve the individual qualities of each batch as opposed to blending for consistency. This sake is also bottled without charcoal filtration and undiluted, which adds to its richness and texture. Oskar Kostecki