Sake Story – The Magic and Lore of S.tokyo Junmai Ginjo
Sake moves at different speeds. Some sake bolts into the US market and is immediately a hit, and some brews take different avenues and then eventually come to market. For example, we might taste a sample from an importer who anticipates it will become part of their portfolio, and then they don’t carry it and all we are left with is the memory. This is the story of one of those memories that we tasted a few years back that was supposed to be available and for whatever reason it never crossed the finish line. And yes, this is a very memorable sake!
The good news is that a sake we’ve been wanting badly has now become available, and it’s all because of the efforts of Ayumi Kuroyanagi -Premium Sake Exporter - who is an amazing sake personality and a tremendous fan of all sake.
When S.tokyo hit our shelves, I immediately sent an email to Ayumi asking if she would write about this brew for the Newsletter. And after sharing S.tokyo at SAKE DAY 2024 she wrote the following piece to introduce to you the magic behind this high profile Junmai Ginjo.
The Nakazawa Sake Brewery will celebrate its 200th anniversary next year. Akira Kagiwada, a young brewer who is now 38 years old and the 11th generation of the brewery, is bringing his masterpiece to the U.S. for the first time! It is totally different from any sake you have ever tasted. What makes it different? It is the only sake in the world brewed with the world's second oldest yeast (which is actually the origin of the brand name). The characteristics of this yeast make it very difficult to make sake, and no one has succeeded in using it for sake brewing since its discovery in 1909, but this young brewer has succeeded in brewing sake by taking advantage of its characteristics and has made sake experts all over Japan fall in love with it in no time. Starting with a refreshing aroma of white grapes, floral, and citrus, the taste is perfectly balanced with a gentle lactic acidity like fresh cheese or yogurt. Serve it with Japanese food, of course, but also with pizza, pasta, Chinese and ethnic dishes, chilled to a crisp and served in an everyday wine glass! The vintage of this S.tokyo is printed on the bottle, and collecting them each year is one of the most joyful challenges for Tokyo Drinkers. You are welcome to join us!
Let's take a moment to unravel the history of this brewery. The company was founded in 1825. As a purveyor to the Odawara clan in Kanagawa Prefecture, next to Edo (now Tokyo), the brewery has long been loved by the lord of Odawara and many local residents. The sake is made from carefully selected high quality sake rice and clear subsoil water from the Tanzawa mountains in Kanagawa Prefecture. Although it is only an hour and a half train ride from Tokyo, it is a small town surrounded by mountains with a beautiful river running through it and lovely Kawazu cherry blossoms dancing in the spring. The brewery still insists on making all of its sake by hand, starting with the traditional handmade koji production process and ending with the top vatting process.
I value these breweries' thoughts and feelings very much. I know that their philosophy, which has lasted for hundreds of years, is reflected in every drop of sake they brew, and that by protecting the quality of that drop, directly connect you, the drinker, with the sake brewery that made it. When I first encountered this groundbreaking and fun sake S.tokyo, I was still a Tokyo office worker working internationally for a global company. And of course I was just a Tokyo drinker (an advanced drinker)! I wanted to enjoy sake more casually, taste it more during daily life, and enjoy it with a variety of cuisines from around the world! Then I visited California in the summer of 2022. Many of my American friends were impressed with the sake I brought from Tokyo! Even a young lady who had said no to sake because she had only bad memories of Sake Bombs in college said, "Is this really sake?" She smiled with delight! If I could get my hands on some of the popular sake that is being fought over in Tokyo and export it to the world, I might be able to tell people around the world who are waiting for real sake! This is what made me decide to start my own business, not as a company employee, but as a premium sake exporter to the world.
I export premium sake under the name SAKE HAPPY TOKYO. Only sake which is recognized in Tokyo! Sake that I have encountered and fallen in love with living in Tokyo. Tokyo won first place in the 2023 World Ranking as the city with the most delicious cuisine in the world. In other words, I believe my Sake is the sake that has won in the world's toughest sake market, from the most discerning Tokyoites in the world. The brewery wakes up every two hours to nurture the sake to create the flavor of that single drop of sake. And we want to deliver them to you, the drinker, without losing a single one of them! To do this, we must ensure both top-quality logistics and top-quality sales training. We only do business with companies that can achieve these things. I would not have been able to bring S.tokyo with this quality without my valued importers East West Sake and True Sake! Biggest applause to them! We will be releasing a very limited quantity of S.tokyo sparkling as well, so please look forward to it!
SAKE HAPPY TOKYO exports premium sake brands to the U.S. in small quantities from only microbreweries, including breweries run by a couple or a few family members. I am always looking for importers, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, and other members of my team who can help me maintain the highest quality standards. 2000 years of sake history has been passed down from 30,000 breweries to only 1,200 in the postwar period. The sake industry is rapidly shrinking, and I deeply hope that the sake industry will be loved and passed down to the world as a world heritage, and not just a Japanese one.
If you would like to get in touch with Ayumi please email her ayumi.sake.happy@gmail.com or visit her at Instagram at @ayupon_sake_japon
Matsumidori “S.tokyo”
From Kanagawa Prefecture. Junmai Ginjo. SMV: N/A Acidity: N/A
The nose on this highly anticipated Junmai Ginjo is a lively collection of peach, pear, melon, persimmon, quince, apricot, tangerine, powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange aromas. Made with the second oldest yeast strain (which nobody had brewed with before) in the history of sake, this sake is a first for all who taste it! You are the first consumers to try a sake featuring a non-used yeast called Saccharomyces tokyo, and how cool is that? What’s cooler is the sake is delicious and the 11th generation owner/toji knew it would be, as he made it with Miyamanishiki milled to 55%. Lively, bright, zesty, silky, mid-body, slippery, fresh and crisp, this brew drinks with expressive textures and a little shibumi, which makes it appealing to wine drinkers. Look for nectarine, tangerine, lemon-lime, peach, honey, mint, apple, pound cake and lemon icing flavors that dance and sing like the Dolly Parton of sake. A fresh and bright “New World” sake that uses the second oldest yeast ever discovered to make an enjoyable and timely sake drinking experience for geeks and sake lovers alike. WORD: Modern WINE: Bright Reds/Crisp Whites BEER: Fruity Ales FOODS: American sushi, street fare, International spice, creamy pastas, fruit and cheese plates, crab, lobster, shrimp, smoked fish and meats, and salumi boards.