Sake and Shochu Gumi

It's incredible how successful Den Sake has become in just a short year - while their fanbase is strong in the East Bay, their popularity has soared further after their James Beard nomination. While Yoshi, Den's toji (master brewer) has been brewing sake for several years, it was only in 2018 that he started his production facility in West Oakland

Everyday, we have customers coming in from all over the Bay Area, who want a bottle of Den's coveted nama nama junmai, after trying it at Soba Ichi, or Single Thread Farms. For those who don't live in the area, there's the pasteurized version (we ship throughout California). We are proud to be the leading seller of Den sakes. 

We love having Den Sake Brewery so close to us, and hosting events with Lani and Yoshi, its co-founders. In April, we hosted a dinner at Soba Ichi with Den and Kosuke Bistro, and just last month, we hosted their Batch 8 release party.

Yoshi greeting guests


Lani pouring Den sake 


Kristin, Mei, and Meiju


We served a flight of Den 7, Den 8, and Den 8 Ori (an Umami Mart exclusive sake)


Alongside the sakes, we served a little dollop of Den's sake kasu (lees) which tastes a little like cheese


Heavenly Soap founder Asako Hostetter, who makes Den Sake Soap, using the kasu from Den sake. This soap is wildly popular at Umami Mart

Den Pasteurized for sale at Umami Mart

We hope to regularly host Den batch release parties in the future. Thank you Lani and Yoshi for your warm hospitality! Our customers love meeting you both in person.