Sake Season – It’s Nama Time!
I know I know! I shouldn’t get all whipped up for unpasteurized sakes, but I cannot help myself. Nama sake is a segment in the sake industry that I cherish, and have worked a great deal at promoting and advancing the “cause.” Why? Because A) I love nama sake, and B) I love nama sake, and C) you should love nama sake.
For years, friends of mine would hear me bitch and moan about how we didn’t have any unpasteurized sakes in the US. And for years, I would go to Japan for one reason and one reason only and that was to get my nama on. I’d literally go to Japan to get my fill of raw or unpasteurized sakes. You’ve heard of hunting safaris? Well, I’d go on nama safaris. And I always looked to bag my limit! And I’d end up getting “bagged.”
Why was I so crazy for this version of sake? Well to be honest, I liked the 3-dimensional aspect of sakes that have not been pasteurized the typical two times. In a sense when you heat a sake it’s almost like aging it for a year. You tamper it down. You control it and remove all of the fresh edges. When you heat a sake you sort of kill it. Heat it twice and you kill it twice. It is no longer living and activating. This is not a bad thing and it is what started an entire industry for keeping sake longer. But, it does change the brew.
Over the years, thankfully we have brought more and more nama sake to the US. Did you know it's illegal to import nama sake into Canada? That’s crazy and I look forward to fighting with my brothers and sisters to remedy this. But the point is nama sake is desired, and where there is a market there is demand. Our demand for nama sake at True Sake has been a driver in this process. And today I am stunned with how many nama sakes are available. Heck, we even have importers who import nothing other than nama sake – Hello Floating World Sake.
So when you here us clamoring about it being Nama season, then you should sit up and take note! This is the best time of the year for nama sake. This is like nama Christmas time. Spring is the ultimate for freshly made and released sakes. And if you do not have a nama in your fridge then you cannot call yourself a sake fan. We have an absurd amount of namas to select from. And there is truly a nama for everybody from the driest of the dry, to the boldest of the bold. It’s 3-D sake season at it’s best!
Take a peek at our New Store Arrivals and you will see that our offerings are hearty indeed. You have the rest of the year to drink great sakes, but this time of year you should focus on seasonality at its best and most raw!