It’s my favorite time of the year! The release of seasonal namazake! Namas are made in all four seasons, but the most exciting releases are in the Spring and Autumn. Some brands are year round, but these are brewed, bottled and shipped out late winter forgoing any pasteurization (most sake are pasteurized twice before release). They are limited quantities and refrigeration is a must, so supply and demand is a real thing! Spring namas are definitely the most sought after considering they are made to express the season itself with trees in bloom and warm sunlit days. It’s a welcome change after a long cold winter! Many spring namas have fruit forward flavor profiles with a hint of sweetness to bring out the amazing aromatics. I was so excited to taste through this year’s array of offerings. Some breweries I taste yearly and new ones occasionally pop up too.
The first sake of the flight is Sakai Shuzo’s Gokyo Arabashiri Junmai Nama Genshu from Yamaguchi, Japan. Arabashiri refers to the first pressing (sake is pressed in 3 sections) and you could liken this section to ‘free run’ in the wine world. No pressure is put on the sake for the arabashiri and it is very fresh. It also occasionally has a touch of spritz to it! Gokyo is one of my favorite spring namas hands down due to its ability to truly embody that freshness. The aromas this year were full of pineapple, bubblegum and citrus. There was less of a spritz than previous years and the alcohol sharpness stuck out a bit. I love to age Gokyo, so even though that’s not what the brewer intended, I prefer more softness to my arabashiri!
I usually buy two bottles yearly, one to open fresh and one to lay down. The richness of the sake develops over time and the flavors become more flavorful. It’s pretty amazing! It also seems counterintuitive to age a sake that is recommended to drink within 4 months of the bottling date and requires refrigeration. But if you age it at fridge temps unopened, you are perfectly safe (at least based on my sake industry friends experience as well as my own!). This sake is also a genshu with a 17.5% alcohol content, making it zesty and alive as well as it having a hot rawness that adds even more complexity to the brew. The price is $39 with an SMV +1 and 1.8 acidity.
Fukucho Junmai Ginjo Nama Genshu ‘Moon on the Water’ was raved about by the True Sake staff when I went to buy my yearly supply of spring nama! I was excited to find out what all the hype was about. The nose was very subtle, but the soft and well-integrated aromas with subdued alcohol content and medium + body was a match made in balance heaven. I got a bit of persimmon and savory tropical fruits on the palate, but this brew is all about drinkability.
This is high class sake if there ever was one! Miho Imada, toji and owner of Imada Shuzo Honten in Hiroshima was awarded one of the slots on BBC’s 100 Women of the Year for 2020. She is one of the most successful women master brewers in an industry that has only presently has about 30 women in the head role. She has also revitalized a lesser known sake rice called Hattanso, created her own hybrid yeast starters and has used white koji to create more acidity in her sparkling junmai called Fukucho Seaside. It’s 2021, so what better way to support women than to enjoy a bottle or two of Fukucho!
(This bottle is $46, but may be sold out for the year. Contact True Sake for more info).
Last but not least is a sake that hasn’t been imported for the past 6 years but is back in action! Kamikokoro Toukagen ‘Heart of God’ Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu from Okayama. It was $39 and was in high demand, so unfortunately it is already sold out!
This sake had virtually no nose at first. I had to let it sit for a bit before it started expressing itself. Once it did, I realized it had the scent of water itself… the kind of aroma that can accumulate in a vessel if the water has distinct minerality. Slowly, more aromas arose. White cherries and poppyseed came into play, which was exciting. The sake is the sweetest of the three with an SMV of -8, making it slightly off-dry. The sake is made with yeast derived from Okayama white peaches! I didn’t get peach aromas outright, but the cherry notes seemed to represent the fruity esters. This is a fun brewery with a mascot known as Yoshimi Yoneno. She’s a cute piece of milled rice and adorns some of their merchandise. Check out this cool brewery when their products are back in stock!
Make sure to grab yourself some spring nama while they still last, bring it to the park, enjoy the shade of some cherry blossoms in perfect bloom while you enjoy the essence of Japan itself in liquid form! Kanpai!