Our Take
Think of Kikusui Junmai Ginjo as that stalwart friend who you can always call up in a moment’s notice and won’t let you down. This junmai ginjo an all-around good sake with medium body, a classic taste and short finish that lets the food pairing do most of the talking. We’ll also get light citrus notes on the nose.
Kikusui Junmai Ginjo is for those looking for an easy choice that will pair with most foods. Serve chilled with fish, white meats or vegetables.
Details
Junmai Ginjo
Seimaibuai: 55%
720ml
Made in Niigata
Our Take
The original romance. While I was at my first sake tasting, I knew I was coming across a special brewery after shaking hands with the slick, pomade hair-styled owner.
True to the name, Born Gold by Katoukichibe Shouten is an outstanding daiginjo with a translucent golden hue. Look for notes of fruity melon on the nose, a rounded body and Asian pear on the palate.
Born Gold is a tasty and elegant sake. It’s good for beginners and seasoned tasters alike, in a bottle that’s impressive to look at too. Serve chilled, with fish or on its own.
More about Katoukichibe Shouten
Details
Junmai Daiginjo
Seimaibuai: 50%
Rice: Yamada Nishiki
720ml
Made in Fukui
Our Take
We’re proud to feature this Junmai Ginjo sake handcrafted by Nobuko Inaba for a few reasons. One—she’s one of the few female head brewers in Japan; two—it’s simply an all-around premium sake that will impress even those who are new to sake.
Minanogawa showcases fragrant aromas including ripe lychees and bananas. There’s also a soft texture with a hint of strawberry on the palate. Countless customers are consistently impressed with this sake’s elegant profile.
Details
Brewery: Inaba Shuzo
Sake name: “Minanogawa”, which is named after a river in Ibaraki
Junmai: Sake includes only water, koji, rice and yeast
Ginjo: Rice has been milled >40%
Muroka: Not charcoal filtered
Alcohol: 15%
Volume: 720ml
Made in Ibaraki
Serving Recommendations
In our testing, we found Minanogawa to be best served slightly chilled and on its own. It can also be paired with leaner dishes like salads with light dressings. What surprised us the most was its compliment to goat cheese!
Our Take
What does “snow aged” mean? If you can believe it, it means exactly that: sake stored for years in a snow-filled room. The end result of the aging process is that Hakkaisan Snow Aged 3 Years Junmai Ginjo is a stellar sake with a richness, full body and structure to enjoy on its own, with red meats or with rich foods. This is the bottle to get to impress even seasoned sake lovers.
Details
Brewery: Hakkaisan
Junmai Daiginjo
Yamadanishiki
Seimaibuai: 50%
17% alcohol
720ml
Made in Niigata
Our Take
Stella by Inaba Shuzo is a highly coveted sake that head brewer, Nobuko Inaba, only makes very limited quantities of. Hand brewed with pure spring water from Mt. Tsukuba in Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture, this sake is gentle, clean and has vibrant fruit notes. When you taste Stella it becomes no wonder that it has won medals from national sake awards ceremonies and IWC (International Wine Challenge).
Details
Brewery: Inaba Shuzo
Sake name: “Stella”, which is means “star” in latin. Inaba Shuzo was inspired by the bright stars while brewing at night time.
Junmai: Sake includes only water, koji, rice and yeast
Daiginjo: Rice has been milled >=50%
Muroka: Not charcoal filtered
Alcohol: 16%
Volume: 720ml
Made in Ibaraki
Serving Recommendations
In our testing, we found Stella to be best served slightly chilled and on its own. It can also be paired with leaner dishes, especially seafood.
Our Take
This is a more refined version of Kikumasamune’s Hyaku Moku. Similar to their junmai ginjo, this junmai daiginjo is made with 100% Yamada Nishiki grown in Hyogo Prefecture but grounded to a 39% rich polishing ratio.
As a result, Hyaku Moku daiginjo is has a slightly richer profile with excellent balance of acidity and dryness. There are tropical fruit tones like juicy lychee and subtle hints of strawberry.
Details
Junmai Daiginjo
Seimaibuai: 39%
720ml
Made in Hyogo
Food pairing
mellow foods
fish, ceviche
grilled morsels of meat and vegetables
Mediterranean foods including tabouleh
Our Take
This one is a real special Daiginjo sake from brewery Take no Tsuyu, which is based out of Yamagata prefecture in northeastern Japan. Called “Hakuro Suishu”, the small production sake is meticulously hand crafted and has notes of fragrant sweet, ripened fruit with an exceptionally balanced profile. There’s also a softness to its texture characteristic of the Yamagata region.
The sake can be served chilled on its own or with food like beef, pork, fried foods.
Tasting Notes
Aromas of ripened nashi pear
Some honey on the palate
Soft texture
Balanced acidity
Medium to medium-heavy body
Awards
2004, 2005, Japan Junmai Sake Gold Award
2014 The Fine Sake Awards Japan - Good in Wine Glass Gold Prize
Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition 2014 Gold Medal
Japan New Sake Competition, won 12 times between 1996 and 2012
First All-Japan New Sake Competition Gold Prize - named Eternally Best in Japan
Details
Junmai Daiginjo
Brewery: Take no Tsuyu
Rice: Dewasansan
Seimaibuai: 39%
720ml
Made in Yamagata
Our Take
This is a special bottle. Kikusui Junmai Daiginjo is made from Kikusui rice, which was a nearly extinct rice strain until the company brought it back from no more than 25 remaining seeds.
The effect of using Kikusui rice is a remarkable sake. It produces a distinct pineapple Hi-Chew-like aroma. It has medium body with balanced acidity, and overall dry to off-dry. Recommended to have this served chilled for a fuller body and better integration of these characteristics!
Details
Junmai Daiginjo
15% alc
Semaibuai: 40%
SMV: 3
Best serving temp: room, chilled
720ml
Made in Niigata
Food pairing
Sushi! Bring this to your next sushi or omakase dinner. It’ll pair well especially with the fattier fishes
Our Take
Are you planning on having a full flavored dinner? Say--spicy Chinese food or fried cajun or something of the like. Then, this is your sake to pair it with.
Wakatake Onikoroshi Junmai Daiginjo doesn't have the same fruity characteristics as some of its peers; maybe just a bit of ripe tropical or concentrated honeydew, if anything. What it does have instead is a dry profile, and short-to-medium finish and a touch higher alcohol content that demands to be alongside food.
Grab some San Tung dried fried chicken or some hot pot or ribs, and do that with this sake. It'll be fantastic.
Details
Made by Omuraya Brewing Company
Junmai Daiginjo
720ml
Made in Shizuoka
Our Take
Tamanohikari’s Junmai Daiginjo holds a special place in my heart. Why? it’s one of the first sakes that made me take a step back and think—“Wow, is this really what sake should taste like?”
Based out of Fushimi in Kyoto, Tamanohikari makes a stunner of a daiginjo. As you smell the sake in the glass, an aromatic perfume of flowers, melon, passion fruit, and a touch of coconut spring up. When tasting, it also presents a delicate but fatty texture with a hint of melon on the palate.
Beginners and seasoned sake lovers will enjoy Tamanohikari’s Junmai Daiginjo. It goes well on its own and can pair alongside richer foods.
More about Tamanohikari
Details
Junmai Daiginjo
Seimaibuai: 50%
720ml
Made in Kyoto