Gekkeikan Horin Ultra Premium Junmai Daiginjo

Most Sake is produced in Japan but there are now a few Sake breweries in the U.S. One such brewery is Gekkeikan, located in Folsom, California. Gekkeikan is a Japanese Sake brewery which chose to open a branch in the U.S. They now sell U.S. made Sake as well as Sake imported from Japan. Their basic U.S. made Sake is available in many wine and liquor stores and is inexpensive, often under $10 a bottle. I am not a fan though of that Sake. I am picky in my Sake tastes.

But, I am a big fan of one of their imported Sakes, the Horin Ultra Premium Junmai Daiginjo ($30). First, this Sake is packaged well and would make a great present. The bottle comes in a black box with gold Kanji lettering. The neck of the bottle is covered in gold foil and tied with a lace. It has a type of flip top opening and they give you a cork which you can use to seal the bottle. But it is not all style over substance.

The sake itself is superb! It is a very high quality drink, smooth, with a nice taste of rice and some mellow fruit flavors. Served chilled, this is definitely a drink that will please a sake aficionado. If you have never tried a premium Sake, this might be a good choice to start.

As this is a Daiginjo, it is the highest quality level Sake. The rice is polished to 50% of its original size. Daiginjos usually sell for more than $30 so this is a good value Sake as well. A definite Drink & Buy.