Sake Slam: Who’s the Next Shogun of Rice Liqueur?

What do get when you cross 6 sake drinkers with one shu mecca that holds 50 options by the glass and 150 by the bottle? The math blows our mind. So did the experience. Here’s the shakedown …

Our mission: To bust wide open the mysteries the taste experience of sake, while working our way handily through the bar menu.

Our expertise: None. Prepped only minimally by a master sake sommelier [link to article], we knew very little going in. Our hope? To wrap our heads around the process.

The result: Failure is the tsunami of success … At the end of the night, the only thing we could bank on is that are few rules when it comes to finding a sake.

Ordering sake is “simple.” The formula: How you order (the grade) + your palate + your language = the perfect sip. Next up, enjoy the ride.

Here’s the breakdown if you’re ordering just one bottle:

• The grade: Know the three classes, or grades, of sake — daiginjo, ginjo and junmai — which refers to how polished the rice is that’s used to make it. Daigingo is the most highly polished, then ginjo, finally junmai. Generally speaking, the more polished, the smoother.
• Your palate: If you like a clean, refined taste, you’ll likely love the daigingo. Want a sharp alcohol or fuel-like bite? Junmai’s your shu. If you land somewhere in the middle, start with the ginjo.
• The language: Speak the lingo of the oban kan … it’s not like wine. Keep terms like spicy, fruit-forward or full-bodied out of your vocabulary. Instead, use words like “ghost like” (aka flowy, billowy, vaporous), “clean” or “round” (it ends where it starts) — the more creative, the better. Think shapes, textures, dimensions and layers. Oddly, this really works.
• One last tip: When tasting sakes with 18 to 20% ABV or higher (unfiltered), put an ice cube in glass before serving to open up the flavors.

***Our top three are ID’ed below.

Flight 1:

1. 1. Kenbishi “Black Pine” Junmai ***3rd place of the night
2. Characteristics: Smooth, rich, and buttery with a creamy texture. Much like surfing a wave, with a big crest then a wipe-out that ends with serene water. Simple, not complex.
3. 2. Kokuryu Mangoku “Black Dragon” Ginjo
4. Characteristics: Consistent, round taste that ends up where it starts, similar to a long, flat dirt road.
5. 3. Kubota Hekiju “Five Thousand” Daiginjo
6. Characteristics: A light, precocious little teenager, with a touch of fuel.

Flight 2 Nama (unfiltered sake — i.e. 18 to 20% ABV):

*With Nama, remember to drop in an ice cube before tasting to better the experience.

1. 1. Kamotsuru
2. Characteristics: Almost like a fruity pillow or snowflakes, but more grown up and complex than flight 1. Reminds us of an enoki mushroom.
3. 2. Dami Kokoro “Ume no Tsuki” ***2nd place of the night
4. Characteristics: Springtime, with a sweetness that lingers and a silky taste.
5. 3. Dassai
6. Characteristics: Very dry with a cotton bandage, gauze-like texture.

Flight 3:

1. 1. Daigingo Genshu ***1st place of the night
2. Characteristics: By far, one the most unusual sakes we’ve sampled — it’s peachy, refined and polished like clean linens in the spring but with a sexy 007 James Bond texture.
3. 2. Gokyo “Arabashir”
4. Characteristics: Light brown but rich, light rain, gobstopper with layers.
5. 3. Dassai
6. Characteristics: Like falling in an outhouse, Slumdog Millionaire-style. It felt ashy, dirty and angry, and we felt wrong drinking it.

Obey the sake slam code: order food long before the fourth round.

Flight 4:

*We normally love unusual things. But in this case, “unusual” translates to “unappealing.”

1. 1. Chikurin Junmai
2. Characteristics: Mild and drinks like a long fireworks fuse.
3. 2. Dassai
4. Characteristics: An uninviting eucalyptus — Vic’s VapoRub — that opens your nose and the back of your throat.
5. 3. Kenbishi
6. Characteristics: Much like a fungus, mushroom taste (but the kind you find on the forest floor that you’re not supposed to eat). Flavors linger on the palate in an aggressive “uzo sake” way. Drink it because it’s there.

Flight 5:

1. 1. Ban Ryo
2. Characteristics: Airy and watered down, much like a fake sake wanna-be. Tastes like sake, looks like sake, not sake. Maybe a Canal Street version?
3. 2. Akitabane Suirakuten
4. Characteristics: Think sweet potato, circus-candy peanut finish with an alcohol bite.
5. 3. Masumi Okuden
6. Characteristics: Clean start with a harsh finish; ends with a scowl and you know you’ll be at karaoke club when you’re done with the bottle.

Flight 6 Koshu (aged sake):

*Disclaimer: Nearly all of these were undrinkable in our humble opinion. We’re willing to admit we have yet to master the refined aged sake palate. And if that makes us sophomoric, we’re cool with that. Our descriptions below … sip at your own risk:

1. 1. A Zen-A9, from Fukuoka
2. Characteristics: Smokey with a hint of wet Irish grass, almost like drinking peat. At best, a watered-down scotch.
3. 2. Daruma Masamune, from Gifu
4. Characteristics: Revolting in a way that feels like punishment. At best, reminiscent of sewage in Tokyo
5. 3. Hanahoto Kijoshu, from Hiroshima
6. Characteristics: A strange underlying familiar taste, possibly fishy. You know that old person smell? This had it.

The one thing we walked away with was a great reco on a sake set that we’ll be gifting for the holidays this year. Friends, act surprised!