Sequoia Sake – One Case ONLY of a Special Yamahai
Yay! Every once in a while, a friend does us a solid. And in this case it’s exactly that. A case of Yamahai sake from San Francisco’s very own Sequoia Sake. As you all know, Sequoia has a killer Sake Club for their brews, which if you aren’t a member you should be because they release very cool labels that are not available to the public. Ah! Now it makes sense? Yup, this case of Yamahai is for club members, but Jake and Noriko love their True Sake Family too, so they wanted to share their wares with you.
But wait, there’s more! This case (12x750ml bottles) is unpasteurized. So twelve lucky folks will get to taste the Nama version of what the Club Members were sent. And how cool is that? Pun intended.
We have asked Jake to write a little bit about the Yamahai in his words:
Yamahai: A Family Affair
Since 2014, the Sequoia family has been crafting sake in San Francisco, but until now, we had never tackled Yamahai. Why? Because it's both an art and a science—demanding patience, an understanding of water chemistry, and a deep respect for tradition.
In 2022, Noriko and I traveled to Japan to visit Kinoshita Brewery (Tamagawa), where Philip Harper, a master of Yamahai, showed us the magic behind it. His lesson? Yamahai starts with the water—unfiltered, alive, and essential to developing the sake's bold character.
Back home, it became a full family project. Olivia dove into the water chemistry, Noriko refined the koji process, and together, we embraced the challenge. The result? A love affair with Yamahai.
Since we don’t carry this special sake full time, we will share our tasting notes in free-form for this delicious brew that I think is the most umami-driven sake that I’ve tasted from Sequoia. The nose on this Yamahai Junmai Ginjo with an 17.7% ABV is a vast collection of melon, cocoa powder, papaya, green apple, pomelo, vanilla wafer, mochi, and steamed rice aromas. This medium-bodied brew drinks round, slippery, silky, rich, and crisp with a gentle acidity play and a dry uplifting finish. And talk about a wide array of flavors. Look for breakfast cereal, custard, flan, whip cream, vanilla bean, lemon, yogurt, dark honey, trail mix dried fruit, with a hint of cocoa on the finish. We enjoyed this brew best as it approached room temperature, and lucky you if you act quickly enough to get yours!