The role out for this 15% ABV Sake is very snazzy. It has an eye-catching red bottle, playful East-Meets-West label stylings, and the website at http://www.SamuraiLoveSake.com/ is uber-polished.
This item is billed as “Premium Niigata Sake Junmai.” What does this mean?
Well, Niigata is the place in Japan where it was produced. Niigata is located on the northwest coast of Japan’s largest island, Honshu.
Junmai refers to the type of sake, which in this case is that “no adjuncts (starches or sugars other than rice added to the fermenting mixture) were used, and that no brewer’s alcohol was added.” (See http://www.esake.com/Knowledge/Types/types.html for further details.)
Having completed that little sake 101 lesson, we can now speak to the quality of this product. In short, this bottle is fetching $32 a bottle retail (so double that for in a restaurant), and we just do not think it is worth it. The flavor is admirable, but it is not especially complex. We have found comparable sakes at price points under $20. So, there you have it—good, but too little for the dollar. (Rating **3/4)
