Our eyeballs popped when we saw the ABV on this sake. Philip Harper, the toji at Kinoshita says, “Most yeast starts dying off when the alcohol gets above 18%, but ours ferment merrily on. The 20% range is pretty standard for us with junmai sakes, and the White label product has gone over 22% seven times in the past, taking it out of the legal definition of sake, which is up to 21.9%. This puts it in a different tax category, and we have to label it as Zasshu (miscellaneous alcohol). This year we got to 22.3%.”

Harper ages his sakes at home, saying that he has kept his bottles after opening at room temperature for over a decade and tastes how they grow over the years.

We shared this bottle over dinner at Popoca in Oakland. We tried it neat, on the rocks, and with soda. Neat, we got notes of prunes, milk punch, and vermouth. On the rocks, this sake tasted crisper and savory with a hint of lemon rind. My favorite serving style was on the rocks with soda (3:5 parts) – it tasted like cream soda! This sake was spot on with Popoca’s smokey halibut enchiladas, and their yuca con pepescas. Try this sake with bigger flavors like burgers, curry, and guacamole.

Features

• Brewed in Kyoto, Japan by Kinoshita Brewery
• Style: Muroka Nama Genshu Yamahai Junmai
• Seimaibuai (rice kernel remaining): Kitanishiki 66%
• ABV 20-22%  / SMV +7 / Acidity 2.7
• Size: 24 fl oz (720ml)