I am starting to get into Sake. Anyone know any good online sources?
True Sake out of San Francisco. And K&L both have good selections. Happy to guide you on what to try. What styles are you looking for?
+1 for True Sake and Sakaya in NYC.
+2 for True Sake.
I’ve literally never tried Sake before. What’s a good starting point? Would like to try it next time I have sushi or go to teppanyaki restaurant.
what’s your favorite place? I’ll look at their list.
Generally, Wikipedia has a decent primer: Sake - Wikipedia
I’d start with a Junmai Ginjo, which is a pure rice sake of good quality. Next I’d try a Yamahai or Kimoto style sake (higher acid, more bold), then I’d try a Nama (unpasteurized, often quite fruity), then I’d jump up to a Daiginjo (highly polished, very subtle, elegant).
I could go into considerable more depth but that gets you headed in the right direction.
My kids like this place. Doesn’t look like an extensive list. Anything worth trying?
A tiny list actually isn’t a bad thing. Even if they aren’t well chosen at least they are likely fresh. Their prices aren’t bad either. Here’s the order I would try them:
Otokoyama Otokoyama Tokubetsu Junmai "Man's Mountain"
Masumi Dry Masumi Okuden Kantsukuri Junmai "Mirror of Truth"
Tsukasa Botan SakayaNYC - Shop All Sake
So for $30 you can get a flight of all three and taste what would cost $110 to buy all three bottles retail. Can’t lose IMHO. Please let me know which you like best and I can steer you from there. Kanpai!
Wish I could like sake again. Was pounding shots of it at a restaurant and got what was somewhat equivalent of a creeper high. Felt totally fine at my seat, stood up, suddenly got insanely dizzy, and puked about 10 minutes later. Too much of a good thing.
John Gauntner’s site is an excellent resource for learning about sake.
Paul’s overview is a good one. Would just add that Yamahai and Kimoto styles are quite interesting, as they allow for really funky yeast and bacterial fermentation, and the long explanation of how they are made is fascinating. They are throwback to the way sake was made a long time ago, before industrial and more reliable and efficient techniques made for high-yielding lighter results, which became the norm. I love Yamahai style sake, which is just full of umami, from producers like Kikuhime, but it’s harder to find.
I love my buzz on sake, and it almost never gives me anything like a hangover, even when we consume quite a bit…
Thanks Paul - I will check it out!
Always fun to run into someone else who knows Kikuhime. It is our favorite brewery by a wide margin. We always hook up with crazy Kikuhime nuts when we visit Tokyo. There is a store there with many unusual bottles that can only be found at that store and at the brewery.