The Beau-Zone Layer

Kudoki Jozu “The Pick Up Artist”
From Yamagata Prefecture. Junmai Ginjo. SMV: +1 Acidity: 1.2

What is the Beau-Zone? This is a chance for me to select a sake with a story that you can taste and continue to explore all of the hidden meaning and expressions of sake. When I am not in the store my “mini-me Beau doll” is here to guide you to discover many things that you may not know about this ancient libation. My pick this month is an amazing sake from Yamagata Prefecture that is know for making very clean and flavorful sakes. I visited Kudoki Jozu ten years ago and I was so very impressed with the Imai family. The brewery is considered one of the cleanest in Japan and many brewery owners visit this kura to learn special tricks on how to keep a brewery clean. What does this say about their sake? Well, it’s clean and flavorful too!

I love drinking this sake. Why? It shows you time and time again that sake can be fruity and have a low SMV, which usually means sweet, but does not drink sweet at all. I give this sake to people who complain that they don’t like sweet wines or sakes. They always love it and I get to say Ha! So you do like sweet sakes, because this sake is considered sweet! It is also a good lesson in how the Sake Meter Value or Nihinshu-do can be misleading. This sake is so-called sweet but drinks more dry than it “should.” Lastly, the nickname for this sake is the best in the biz – The Pickup Artist! How cool is that! This would make a great Christmas present.