Thirsty Thursday - Sake!

Sake Matsui Shuzo ‘Matsucup’

Regular price: $9 per 180ml can

Sale price: $7 per 180ml can

Matsui Shuzo is nestled in a pine forest for which it is named, this small family owned brewery uses only local rice for its brewing. The toji, Motohiro Matsui, is also the owner, taking over from his father, running the company and responsible for all the brewing. He studied at Tokyo University and is a member of the Shimotsuke Brewer's Association. The water in Shioyamachi is soft, running through the mountains of pine forest surrounding the brewery for use in all production of sake. Unique to the brewing process is the blending of two yeast strains which is used to obtain a special flavor element within the sake.

Jozen Mizuno Gotoshi Junmai Ginjo Hiyaoroshi Namazume

Regular price: $22 per bottle

Sale price: $17 per bottle

Aromas are forward, fresh, and fruity in the nose with notes of sweet melon, cherries, and hints of vanilla. Flavors on the palate evoke feelings of the season with pumpkin pie, roasted nuts, and stewed plums. This sake is medium-bodied and accented by medium acidity, showing classic Jozen minerality and a lingering dry finish. An additional 7 months of aging adds depth and roundness.

Sake Senjo Junmai Daiginjo

Regular price: $27 per bottle

Sale price: $21 per bottle

Juicy & Refreshing. Full of fruity flavors with clean sweetness. Brewed with Hitogokochi, the special sake rice harvested in Nagano, and natural water slowly filtered down the Japan Alps. In 1866, toward the end of the Edo period, Matsujirou Kurogouchi and his family started a small sake brewery currently called Senjo named after Senjo Ga Take, a 3000-meter peak in the Japanese Alps. Today Senjo Brewery strives to combine art with science and old skill with new technology by adding modern twists to the rich historical traditions of sake brewing.

Uonuma Noujun Junmai

Regular price: $25 per bottle

Sale price: $20 per bottle

Shirataki Shuzo, founded in 1855, is based in Echigo Yuzawa, in the Niigata Prefecture. It is located in the heart of the Japanese Alps, in an area called "Snow Country.” Each spring, the snowpack melts, providing an abundance of clear natural spring water. This water runs through a coal seam providing a natural filtration process that accentuates the taste and quality of the water. This very soft water is the secret behind the very light, elegant, pretty style of sake made at Shirataki. The town of Echigo Yuzawa is home to "Koshihikari" a famous high-quality rice brand in Japan.