New Store Arrivals – It’s Still Nama Season and We Have Tons
Timing is what it is. And nature decided to let this deadly virus fly during one of the best times in the sake calendar year – Spring or Nama season. Fresh-released unpasteurized sake is a real treat, and this is a wonderful time to find new expressions in sake that is living, lively, and very bright. But as you know it is tricky shipping Nama sake. We do not use cold packs, and we are very cautious of sending out brews that need to be refrigerated. As such we call each customer, who orders Nama sake to put the onus on them that they are taking a risk when ordering these brews. That said, we are very confident sending Nama sake in the right capacity and have been doing so for over a decade. BUT, this is a big shout out to all of the local customers, you are sitting on a gold mine of feelings and flavors of unpasteurized sake and you should really be exploring all of the Namas for “Pick-up” and Deliv orders. Take advantage of these seasonal brews! We currently have 13 seasonal brews in stock and this number could go up to 15 soon.
Ama no to “Heaven’s Door” 2020
From Akita Prefecture. Tokubetsu Junmai Nama. SMV: +4 Acidity: 1.5
The nose on this seasonally released Nama is a cool collection of cucumber, cooked pear, apple, and steamed rice aromas. Smooth, round and semi-thick it’s so nice to have this Heaven’s Door back in the store. Talk about great unpasteurized sake this Ama no to have it all! It’s a little dry, which is rad for a crisp and lively Nama. Look for hints of pear, cooked apple compote, banana, and other tropical fruit tones. Very velvety with a good body and a tasty mineral water undertone that again finishes dry and refreshing. If you’re good at spelunking for flavors see if you can pull the mineral, green apple, and apricot flavors that lay hidden under the expressive and complex fluid. WORD: Dry WINE: Crisp Reds/Flinty Whites BEER: Crisp Ales FOODS: Veggies, salads, sushi and sashimi, grilled fare. $39/720ml
Ura Gasanryu Shoka 2020
From Yamagata Prefecture. Shiboritate Honjozo Nama. SMV: +3 Acidity: 1.3
The nose on this Spring released unpasteurized sake is a gentle collection of citrus, mineral, dried fruit, and rose water aromas. Behold a brew that drinks like its bottle. Light, clean, crisp, minerally, and bright the fluid of this sake is exactly like tasting a snowball. How cool is that? Oh wait! Add in a layer of cooked lemon flavors and a hint of a white pepper finish and you are talking a really clean and slippery Nama that is as fresh as the falling snow of a cold spring. Dig deep and grape and Asian Apple Pear flavors emerge as the brew warms in the glass. This is great Yamagata sake at its freshest and liveliest state. So clean and so bright with those citrus licks it is almost the perfect poolside sake. WORD: Light WINE: Crisp Reds/Flinty Whites BEER: Crisp Ales FOODS: Light and clean fare, citrus salads, shellfish, oysters. $25/720ml
Takahiro Taka Nagayama “Noble Arrow”
From Yamaguchi Prefecture. Tokubetsu Junmai Nama. SMV: +2 Acidity: 1.6
The nose on this unpasteurized seasonally released sake is a unique collection of sweet nuts, rose petal, mineral, apple, and steamed rice aromas. Say hello to a first time sake at True Sake. “Taka” is a great brewer and he makes very expressive sake. And this Nama is no exception as it is a “different” brew that stands alone. It is a very pastoral sake with layers of flavor and a spritzy feeling that extols the freshness of this brew. First and foremost it is chewy and who doesn’t like a texture play like that? Then add some green apple, mint, mineral, lemon, and creamy flavors to the mix and you are talking about a super flavorful Nama with richness, body and a minty freshness. We are so happy to add Noble Arrow to our Spring nama collection and think that you will be very excited to try this very first offering. WORD: Spritzy WINE: Lively reds/Bright whites BEER: Citrus Ales FOODS: Shellfish, oysters, sushi, sashimi, grilled veggies and shrimp. $39/720ml
Fukucho “Moon on The Water” 2020
From Hiroshima Prefecture. Junmai Ginjo Nama Genshu. SMV: +3 Acidity: 1.4
The nose on this very expressive seasonally released unpasteurized sake is a lively collection of cherry, peach, strawberry, raisin, melon, and floral aromas. If a nose could talk! Well the aromas on this brew really match the flavors of the brew itself and that is awesome. So many fruit tones on a lively, zesty, tingly, effervescent fluid that is brash, bright and so much fun. We are very glad to have Moon on the Water back in our Nama fold, because it is a great example of how rice and water can taste like so many fun flavors such as apple, cantaloupe, pear, kiwi, and mango. This is a perfect sake to compare against its pasteurized version, which we also carry. Try them both side by side to determine for yourself what pasteurizing a sake does to it’s feeling and flavor profiles. WORD: fruity WINE: Fruity Reds/Juicy Whites BEER: fruity Ales FOODS: Champagne fare. $46/720ml
Masumi “First Run” Arabashiri 2020
From Nagano Prefecture. Junmai Ginjo Nama. SMV: -0.6 Acidity: 1.7
The nose on this very famous seasonally released sake is an eclectic collection of rose water, citrus, berries, lemon tea, yeast, and steamed rice aromas. Bravo! Yet another awesome year for Masumi Arabashiri, which is one of the longest standing seasonally released sakes in the US. Each year this brew is extremely similar and familiar, but each year there is a fun detectable difference that makes this brew a collectors dream come true. Bright, zesty, lively, crisp but not hot this Junmai Ginjo pops with flavor. Look for lots of their hallmark citrus tones like orange and grapefruit (How do they do that?) with a dash of tangerine. It’s a fun sake because it’s brash up front then it has a quick finish! Huh? This year is a far more expressive version with better balance and such a lively personality. Masumi for the win! WORD: Lively WINE: Tannin Reds/ Crisp Whites BEER: Citrus Ales FOODS: International Spice, Champagne Fare, Grilled fare, Shellfish, Seafood, Citrus salads. $39/720ml