Sake (Japanese rice wine) is available to-go and is 20% off. Valid ID must be present. 21+ years of age.
JUNMAI
1. SUIGEI “DRUNKEN WHALE” (Tokubetsu)
300ml Kochi Prefecture 39 SMV: +7 Acidity:1.6 ABV: 15.5% $20
"Drunken Whale" is named after a warlord of this prefecture in the Edo period who loved sake and drank a lot of it. Kochi is also located off the Pacific coast which is ideal for whale watching. Notes of plum and cherry with hints of spice and minerals on the back end. Very clean and dry on the finish.
FOOD PAIRING: baked mussels, yakitori, light rolls
2. KODAMA TAIHEZAN (Kimoto)
300ml Akita Prefecture 5
SMV: +1 Acidity: 1.7 abv: 15-16%
Price: 24
“Great peaceful mountain.” Creator of the “Akita Kimoto Method”, Kodama Jozo is revered for its kimoto (traditional method) sakes. The nose on this sake is distinctly a kimoto – lactic, yeasty, with hints of banana and vanilla. However, the body is lighter than typical kimoto sake because it is quite crisp with a slight creaminess.
FOOD PAIRING: udon, beef sukiyaki, baked mussels
3. TAIYOZAKARI (tokubetsu)
720ml Niigata Prefecture 15
SMV: +5 Acidity: 1.3 ABV: 15%
$60
An excellent example of Niigata style, crispy and dry flavors with refreshing acidity works well with many foods and can excel either chilled or warm as kanzake. Taiyo Sake Brewery is located in Murakami City in the northern part of Niigata, a town well-known for salmon. FOOD PAIRING: salmon teriyaki, salmon rolls, eel
4. HEIWA SHUZO “KID”
720ml Wakayama Prefecture 30
SMV: +1.0 Acidity: 1.5 ABV: 15.5%
$60
Heiwa Shuzo is located on the former grounds of the Muryozan Temple in Kainan City. Established shortly after WW2, Heiwa (meaning Peace) benefits from the incredibly soft waters that flow down from the famed Koyasan Temple, the holiest site in Koyasan Shingon Buddhism. The name KID or “KIDO” is an abbreviation of “Kishu no Fudo” a reference to the beautiful and abundant environment of the KII peninsula. It is also appropriate because of the young and passionate brewing staff (average age 28) who impart the sake with an invigorating, youthful energy known throughout Japan.
FOOD PAIRING: beef teriyaki, tempura, yakitori
5. AKABU SHUZO
720ml Iwate Prefecture 3
SMV: N/A Acidity: N/A ABV: 16%
$70
The nose on this cult favorite sake has corn, steamed rice, persimmon, peach, sweet carrots, and citrus aromas. The brewer of this sake purposely doesn’t give out technical specs, because he simply wants you to not geek out and “just drink the sake.”
FOOD PAIRING: n/a
6. MUTSU-HASSEN RED LABEL (tokubetsu)
720ml Aomori Prefecture 2
SMV: +2 Acidity 1.3 ABV: 16%
$85
Their Mutsu Hassen brand symbolizes the legend of Eight Drunken Immortals of Tohoku. Mutsu Hassen can be described as elegantly fragrant, full and rich with a light, clean, refreshing finish. The nose on this sake is a lively collection of red apple, grape, blueberry, and mango aromas. The master brewer brewed this special sake to be zesty, frisky, bright, lively, and juicy. A unique style with apple, pear, and a touch of orange soda flavors that drink crisp in the glass. FOOD PAIRING: Agedashi tofu, shrimp, hamachi, maguro
JUNMAI GINJ0
7. SEIDEN 50 OMACHI
720ml Akita Prefecture 5
SMV: +1 Acidity: 1.6 ABV: 16%
Price $60
Made with the grandfather of all sake rice, Omachi of Okayama prefecture, which is revered for its complex characteristics. Akita Seishu polishes this great rice down to 50% of the original size, and brews carefully and expertly in small batches. This results in a clear aroma and dense, layered flavors. Pasteurized only once, so the silky, lively character and flavors are preserved.
FOOD PAIRING: albacore, smoked salmon, tonkatsu
8. AMABUKI SUNFLOWER KOBO
720ml Saga Prefecture 21
SMV: +10 Acidity: 1.7 ABV: 16%
$60
Amabuki’s claim to fame is using flower yeasts. They use local sunflower yeast/kobo to produce a beautiful, bone dry, floral sake with subtle hints of fresh herbs. This sake is also unpasteurized/nama and cold matured for one year to add depth and character.
FOOD PAIRING: halibut, snapper, scallop
9.CHOGETSU CLEAR MOON
720ml Akita Prefecture 5
SMV: +1 Acidity: 1.6 abv: 15%
$65
The nose on this very classy Junmai Ginjo is a gentle collection of honey, apple blossom, citrus and rice aromas. Rich, round and super smooth this brew has layers of creamy flavors and drinks fluffy and soft. There are hints of honey, grains, rich fruit compote and breakfast cereal flavors that evolve into a creamy raisin and pear finish.
FOOD PAIRING: poke salad, saba shioyaki, assorted sushi
10. MIWATARI PETILLANT
720ml Nagano Prefecture 20
SMV: -2 Acidity: 1.8 ABV: 18%
$70
“Petillant” is a French word that means “slightly sparkling”. While not a sparkling sake, it has an effervescence that signifies its freshness! This sake was brewed in collaboration with 3 Michelan Star French chefs to pair with Japanese and Western. Look for soft, rich notes of peach, plum, and black currant.
FOOD PAIRING: oysters, toro, uni
11. TENZEN SHICHIDA
720ml Saga Prefecture 41
SMV: +9.5 Acidity: 1.7 ABV: 15%
$75
The powerful aroma greets you with a delicious peach scent, which hints at the flavor. Each sip brings a sweetness that plays out on your palate before it's wrapped up by a surprising dryness. This wonderful taste is developed through a 3-year aging process, and is enhanced by serving warm.
FOOD PAIRING: donburi, veggie udon, hamachi kama
12. HOURAISEN WA
720ml Aichi Prefecture 23
SMV: +/-0 Acidity: 1.5 ABV: 16.5%
$80
Wa means “harmony”. In Japan there is a term called “wa-jo-ryo-shu”, which means “harmony brews good sake”. This sake starts off with soft and gentle notes of lychee and pear, but finishes with a gentle rice umami to add nice balance to the sake. Houraisen grows a portion of their own rice, which is extremely rare and special in the sake world.
FOOD PAIRING: yakitori, scallop, hamachi
13. AKABU SHUZO
720ml Iwate Prefecture 3
SMV: N/A Acidity: N/A ABV: 16%
$85
This sake opens with aromas of apple followed by flavors of vanilla and almond milk. This sake’s acidity and refreshing sweetness are well balanced. With well-balanced bright acidity and refreshing sweetness, this sake is pasteurized only once to keep its freshness.
FOOD PAIRING: n/a
JUNMAI DAIGINJO
14. DASSAI 39
300ml Yamaguchi Prefecture 35 SMV: +3 Acidity: 1.3 ABV: 16.5% Price $30
This sake has been milled down to 39%. The nose is fruity with koji rice, apple, honeydew, and strawberry aromas. A very plush sake that is loaded with fruit basket flavors and has a very wine-like acidity presence with a long finish. Chewy, round, and soft, but bright – go figure! Hints of pear, apple, blueberry and honeydew on a fleshy fluid that is lively and velvety. At one point, this 200-year-old brewery almost went bankrupt before they re-focused all of their company resources to create the best
“Daiginjo” grade sake.
15. HEIWA SHUZO KID (Junmai Daiginjo)
Size: 720ml
Price $90
The nose on this special brew is a lively collection of cherries, pear, mango, and white flower blossoms. Fruity and silky this semi-chewy brew drinks plump but very clean and smooth. And therein is the “art” of this sake that has a fruit basket full of flavors that are upfront and welcoming and then disappear in a clean and balanced finish. This begs the question how can rice and water taste like so many fruit tones and then finish so clean and smooth? Your mouth is exploring huge pear, melon, apple, and honey flavors and then whoosh they are gone with a whisper.
16. MIYAKANBAI
720ml Miyagi Prefecture 4
SMV: -1 Acidity: 1.5 ABV: 15%
Price $95
Kanbai Shuzo has been family owned and operated since inception and has maintained its small and intimate character in producing its handmade sake. They care about representing a true sense of jizake production by cultivating their own rice in the rice fields (“tanbo”) surrounding the brewery. Their motto is, “To know the rice is to know the sake.” Their signature sake brings rich fruity aromas of mango, pineapple, melon and honey with clean fleshy rice notes. A wellrounded sake with a gentle, juicy, and silky texture that leads to a flavorful field of apple, pear, strawberry, and mineral watertones.
17. DASSAI 23
300ml Yamaguchi Prefecture 35
SMV: +4 Acidity: 1.1 ABV: 16%
Price $60
Say hello to one of the most polished sakes in Japan. This sake has been milled to 23% and is in a class of its own. With a nose of grapes, flowers, strawberries and mineral water the flavor is as luscious as the aroma. The flavor washes over your tongue like a gentle waterfall deep in a secluded forest, and trickles away into a long, satisfying finish. Widely held as one of the best sakes around, Dassai 23 pushes the limits of rice polishing. It made headlines in 2014, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presented a bottle of Dassai 23 to US President Barack Obama during the latter’s visit to Tokyo. Renowned chef Joël Robuchon also once dubbed that very blend as “the best sake in the world”.
NIGORI (coarse filtered)
*nigori sake = please shake before drinking
18. Kiku-Masamune Kinushiro (nigori)
500ml Hyogo Prefecture 28
SMV: -40 Acidity: 1.2 ABV: 10%
Price $27
Kinushiro means “white silk”. Silky smooth and smartly chic in a chic frosted glass bottle, Kinushiro is a Junmai grade nigori sake with a clean and refreshing aftertaste and a full but elegant character. Notes of vanilla yogurt and banana. Silky smooth. Food Pairings: beef sukiyaki, desserts, or by itself as a digestif
19. HEIWA (nigori)
720ml Wakayama Prefecture 30
SMV: -8.5 Acidity: 1.1 ABV: 14%
Price $60
A no-frills, slightly sweet and sophisticated nigori with a hint of melon on the palate; it is incredibly smooth and balanced to please both novice and experienced drinkers. Texture can be a bit chunky with the natural rice koji, with enzymatic benefits to both your body and soul. The green bottle is reminiscent of the bountiful nature that surrounds the brewery and the clear, soft water from Koyasan.
20. DASSAI 45 Nigori
300ml Yamaguchi Prefecture 35
SMV: +3 Acidity: 1.4 ABV: 16%
Price $21
Junmai Daiginjo-level nigori. A tasty nigori that is so flavorful and feels so good on the palate. The nose is made up of rose water, cream, apple, and melon aromas. Fruity, light, buoyant, bouncy, and soft this sake drinks like it is floating. There is no sweet rush of flavor like other nigoris, rather it is soft, airy, and feels like it swooshes through the palate. Look for hints of fruit tones like cherries, pears, apples, grapes, and a touch of light whipping cream. Elegant, special, high-end and delicious.+
TARU
21. KIKU-MASAMUNE
750ml Hyogo Prefecture 28
SMV: +5 Acidity: 1.7 ABV: 15%
Price $45
Authentically-brewed junmai sake is sealed into new casks of yoshino cedar. This sake is made by a staff of only 6 people! We invite you to experience the invigorating cedar aroma and soft, silky cedar, vanilla, and honey notes. We also recommend it warm in a cedar/masu cup!
FOOD PAIRING: chicken teriyaki, unagi, tonkatsu, beef sukiyaki
MASU CUPS = $10
*Originally, masu cups were small square wooden boxes used to measure rice portions in Japan during the feudal period. The wooden masu cup is said to complement traditionally brewed sake, since it’s brewed in wooden casks. They also carry a woody, clean scent as an added touch and can be used as a container for a short glass or by itself as a cup.
TOKKURI = $10
*A Tokkuri is a carafe for serving and heating sake. Traditionally made from ceramic or earthenware. The neck of the carafe is narrow to help retain heat. This carafe is partially submerged into a hot water bath to warm the sake. A single serving sake tokkuri is has a size of one “ go ” or ichigo – 180ml/6oz.
INFUSED
22. SHIBATA BLACK YUZU
200ml Aichi Prefecture 23
SMV: +2 abv: 8%
$19
The yuzu fruit used is from Shibata’s local farm is all organic. Shibata Black Yuzu is made with a Junmai sake base using Ginpu rice from Hokkadi and Kanzui (God’s Water) water which is particularly soft (water hardness = 0.2). The yuzu is squeezed with the skin left on, thereby allowing for the juice to not be too sweet with an added touch of tartness. Each individual yuzu fruit yields only about 20ml of juice.
FOOD PAIRING: sushi, oysters, lightly grilled fish or fresh soft cheeses
23. TAKAHASHI HAKUTAKE YUZUMON
720ml Kumamoto Prefecture 43
RICE SHOCHU ABV: 8%
Price $55
A perfect blend of our authentic rice shochu, juice from Yuzu fruit produced in Japan, and lemon juice. A harmony of the delicate bitterness of Yuzu and the refreshing sourness of lemon, Yuzumon is an invigorating, double citrus liqueur. It imparts a more complex aroma and juicier taste which can be enjoyed due to the blending of two different types of citrus.
24. MATCHA SAKE ABV: Price: COMING SOON!
25. IPPONGI GINKOBAI HANNYA TOU
Umeshu infused with red pepper
180ml Fukui Prefecture 3 ABV: 12.5%
$17
The Japanese folktale "Hannya" is a devil formed by agony, resentment and envy. A myth of a young innocent beautiful woman betrayed by her husband. She tolerated his infidelity over and over. Her anger finally took over her and transformed her into a dreadful cold-blooded devil. This version of Ginko-bai by Ippongi brewery has a sweetness that is met with a distinct spiciness from hot pepper. As the sweetness softens the spiciness lingers.
FOOD PAIRING: fried, salty dishes, savory rolls, digestif
26. EIKOH KURAMOTO NO NIGORI-UMESHU
750ml Ehime Prefecture 38
ABV: 12%
$60
Kuramoto Nigori Umeshu is Eikoh Brewery’s newest plum shochu, a spin-off of their original Kuramoto No Umeshu. This Shochu-based plum liquor contains fine pieces of succulent nakoume pulp, giving the beverage a cloudy appearance and more viscous, full-bodied texture. This umeshu is rich and preserves its tangy taste with a very thick texture and sweet aroma.
FOOD PAIRING: rich beef and salmon dishes, digestif