New premium sake enters West Virginia market

What do you know about Sake? “Not much,” is the answer most of us probably give. If your sake experience is limited to downing a few warmed shots of inexpensive sake at Japanese restaurants, then I have news for you.

A new line of premium sakes are entering the West Virginia market, and they are incredibly, incredibly good. 

Like most beverage alcohol categories, sake is one with a wide diversity in quality. I got my eyes wide opened to this truth at a sake and food pairing activity I attended at Ichiban restaurant in Charleston, WV. 

The sake tasting was led by Stacey Meyer of Kobrand Corporation, which is the importer of the premium Japanese sakes in the Joto Sake Portfolio.

At the event, premium sakes were paired with foods prepared by Ichiban’s head chef Evan Wilson. Without exception, the pairings exposed the absolute beauty of the beverages.

While sake is a beverage that’s been around for many centuries, I, like most of us, was woefully unfamiliar with its premium categories.  

The Kobrand Corp., which in West Virginia is represented by Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), might be best known for its premium French wine imports (for instance, the Louis Jadot and Taittinger brands), but their Japanese sakes are a real treat.

Now available in West Virginia

We’re so lucky that products from traditional, high-end sake breweries are now available in West Virginia. Premium sakes offered in West Virginia include:

Yuki No Bosha

• Saiya Brewery in Akita Prefecture
• Type: Junmai Ginjo
• Name in English: Cabin in the Snow

This sake is an homage to a poet who lived in the mountains. It is from a small brewery and brewed in limited quantities. Highly respected by sommeliers. Wafting aromas of papaya and strawberry, hint of white pepper and mint in the finish. Multiple award winner. Delicate. Serve chilled. A versatile sake with sashimi, salads, spicy foods, and desserts.

“This is one of the most popular, although it is one of the most limited,” says Kobrand’s Stacy Meyers. 

Shichi Hon Yari

• Tomita Brewery in Shiga Prefecture
• Type: Junmai
• Name in English The Seven Spearsmen

Woodsy and earthy. Notes of shiitake, cedar, and grapefruit. Serve chilled. Made with Tarnazakse sake rice. Serve with sashimi and grilled white fish, as well as savory fare like grilled meats and vegetables and nutty cheese. Serve slightly cooled or at room temperature. From the third-oldest brewery in Japan, dating back to the 1500s.

Eiko Fuji Ban-Ryu 

• Fuji Brewery in Yamagata Prefecture
• Type: Honjozo
• Name in English: 10,000 Ways

Light and fruity, with undertones of black currant, finishing crisping clean, From a brewery founded in 1778, Ban Rye appeals to a wide range of food pairings. Enjoy chilled, at room temperature, or warmed. Pairs well with green salads and hearty ramen.

Joto Junmai Nigori

• Nakao Brewery in Hiroshima Prefecture
• Type: Junmai Nigori
• Name in English: The Blue One

Nigori means it’s an unfiltered sake, so it has a cloudy appearance.  Coconutty fruit notes on a dry, earthy background. Serve chilled. Pairs with burgers and steaks. Also goes well with Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian curries.

Maboroshi Junmai Ginjo

• Maboroshi Brewery in Hiroshima Prefecture
• Type: Junmai Ginjo
• Name in English: Nakao’s Secret

It has a taste described as clean and pretty. Overall light and delicate with a touch of fruitiness. Serve chilled with tuna steak, yakitori, or tempura.

A product whose time is now

Skye Spalding, WV district manager for RNDC, thinks there is a nice opportunity in higher-end, premium sakes here. 

“Getting people to try it is the most important thing.” she says. 

Skye explains that RNDC’s first efforts with the sakes are focused on identifying the Japanese restaurants, pan-Asian restaurants, and sushi bars that would be interested in offering premium sakes. They then communicate with local liquor stores — the stores from which the restaurants purchase their beverages — and tell them which products the restaurants have an interest in purchasing. From there, it’s up to the liquor stores to order the sakes from the state warehouse.

The second effort, Skye explained, entails working with all the state’s high-end liquor stores. Once the sake is out in stores, RNDC reps will schedule some in-store sake tastings.

“We’ll likely target the top 15 of those stores,” she says. “That will be after we get some distribution for the sakes. We’ll then get the sampling going so people can taste it and see that this is really a great product.”

While West Virginia is a very small market overall, Skye thinks the state could have the potential to annually sell around 100 cases each of these premium sakes.

Any West Virginia licensee interested in offering the sakes can order them through the West Virginia Online Portal at the WVABCA.

Premium sake pricing in WV

Premium sake retail bottle pricing at liquor stores
in West Virginia should fall into these categories:

Yuki No Bosha (720 ml) – $35.99 to $41.49
Shichi Hon Yari (720 ml)- $28.49 to $33.99
Eiko Fuji Ban-Ryu (720 ml) – $19.99 to $22.99
Joto Junmai Nigori (300 ml)- $12.99 to $14.99
Maboroshi Junmai Ginjo (720 ml) – $32.99 to $37.99

Sake Facts

• Sake is made from four ingredients: rice, water, koji mold (enzyme), and yeast. 
• Unlike beer brewing, Sake brewing undergoes saccharification and fermentation, simultaneously, in one tank. The koji converts the rice starch into sugar, and the yeast turns the sugar into alcohol.
• The alcohol content of sake typically runs from 15 to 20 percent alcohol by volume.
• In West Virginia, bottles of sake are only available for purchase at retail liquor stores and liquor-licensed bars and restaurants.
• Sake is most commonly sold in 720 ml bottles.
• A 1.5-oz. serving is customary when sake is served in traditional, small ceramic or glass cups. A 4-oz. serving size is common when premium sake is served in wine glassware.
• Premium sakes are usually served chilled or at cool room temperature. High-grade Junmai sake should not be drunk hot because the delicate flavors and aromas may be lost.
• Honjozo-style sake has small amount of distilled alcohol added to it to help extract flavor. Many recommend serving Honjozo-style sake warmed up to around 110˚F.
• Flavors in sake can be reminiscent of fruits, flowers, herbs, and spices.
• To make premium grades of sake, 50 to 70 percent of the outer portions of the rice grain is milled away (polished) to reveal the inner grain which contains more pure starch. The outer portion of the grain contains higher concentrations of fats, vitamins, and proteins. Higher concentrations of fat and protein lead to off-flavors in the sake, something that is not wanted in a premium sake. More polishing makes the sake lighter, cleaner and fruitier. 

The three grades of Junmai-style premium sake are as follows.

Junmai Daiginjo – Rice must be polished down to 50% or less of the original grain. Flavor Descriptors: Elegant, delicate, smooth

Junmai Ginjo – Rice must be polished down to 60% or less of the grain. Flavor Descriptors: Lively, fruity, aromatic

Junmai – Rice must be polished down to 70% or less of the grain. Flavor Descriptors: Rich, earthy, versatile