This Dokan Daiginjo sake is a very fine and balanced version of Junmai Daiginjo - Daiginjo grades of sake are considered the ultimate test of a brewer’s skill. Expect floral and fruit driven styles of sake that can be elegant and delicate or complex and intriguing. This is super premium sake at it’s best without the super premium price tag. A bold fragrant nose leads to ripe melon & fennel aromas. The palate has a light touch of sweetness and a robust round mouthfeel. Great as an aperitif or with lighter styled dishes. Serve chilled. Once opened the Ota Shuzo 'Dokan Daiginjo' will last well for at least 3 - 4 weeks, ideally in a refrigerator.

Ota Shuzo Dokan's Umeshu (plum wine) is a joyous drinking experience. Made with one year-old sake instead of soju, and then elevated with the maceration of ume plums and korizuta sugar, this wine manages to be highly drinkable and complex all at once.. Produced by a 5th generation samurai family, it's evident that the decades of precision and dedication have given Ota Shuzo Dokan the skillset to make the finest umeshu available in Australia. Not as sweet as other umeshu, this wine is perfect in cocktails or as a simple, solo treat, served cold over ice. Once opened the Ota 'Umeshu' will last well for at least 10 - 12 weeks, ideally in a refrigerator.

The ‘Furu-Tsuru-Ume’ is made with Nankō Ume fruit from Wakayama. The fruit is steeped in Sake for 4 months, then aged in a tank for 2 years. It is then placed in used oak barrels for further ageing of at least 8 years. This is one of the oldest wood-aged Umeshu in the market. A rich and complex example of Umeshu with a spicy oak character on the finish, this is best served slightly chilled in a wine glass to appreciate the intense and complex aromas and flavours on display here. Once opened the Heiwa 'Furu-tsuru-ume Umeshu 10YO' will last well for at least 12 - 15 weeks, ideally in a refrigerator.

Starting with super high quality Hyogo grown Yamada Nishiki, this sake features yeast no.77 which is very high in malic acid production (green apple note). Aromas of honeysuckle, white grape and lemon balm leap from the glass. The palate is round but transitions very quickly into sweet tart candy. There’s lots of acidity, even some astringency before the long finish suggests apple jolly rancher. A great introduction to the Afuri line.

Kizakura is one of the most famous sake brewers from Kyoto, Japan. Width & depth in a flavour and semi dry taste with a good amount of acid, perfectly matching any Japanese dishes.

One of the finest luxury sakes around,this medium-bodied hand-made artisan sake is produced using fine highly-prized Yamadanishiki rice grown in a district of Hyogo. Polished to the highest leve until only 38% of the grain remains, it is fermented in small batches for two months. The complex nose exhibits nuances of melon, lemon, bitter orange and green grass. The palate is superbly balanced with crystallised notes of tropical fruit and citrus with a thread of subtle umami on a long-lasting finish.

Another rare sake brewed with black koji from Ikemame brewers in the Fukuoka Prefecture. Its Turtle Red sake is aromatic and complex and exhibits a fine acidity and flavours of red berry fruit and umami on the palate with a rich texture and clean finish. Pair it with finely sliced Wagyu steak.

This Yuzushu is a blend of Yuzu juice with sake. Yuzu is a citrus fruit grown in Japan. Yuzushu is sweet and will show some cloudiness from the yuzu infusion. This is normal and best to shake the bottle before serving. Enjoy this liqueur with desserts such as ice cream or cakes.

In theory it is impossible to ferment whole brown rice unless it is sprouted [which is what used to be done in ancient times] however Genmai-zake [literally - brown rice sake] means that the husk of the rice has not been polished off. Rather, the rice husk is crushed to expose the inner part of the grain to allow fermentation, while leaving the rice completely unpolished. Genmai-zake needs twice as much rice than would usually be required to make the same quantity of sake made from polished rice. This style also requires extra attention with longer soaking and steaming times. Soaking for Genmai-zake takes around 14 hours, whereas soaking for white rice ranges from 1 minute for highly polished rice to around 1 hour for less polished. This long soak time is followed by a double steaming process. During the fermentation of the Genmaishu, Shiuchi-san has to implement complicated additions of kōji rice, steamed rice and water at very specific intervals of the ferment period to to achieve the exact result he wants in the finished sake. Kameman also needs to age the sake before it is at its optimum drinking condition. It is incredibly rare to see a sake made from brown rice, with only one other brewery in Japan making a genmai-zake. The Genmaishu displays a beautiful brown sugar and roasted cocoa bean nose with a lovely balanced sweetness on the palate with tastes of ‘Christmas cake’ dried fruit and spices. Kameman have achieved the perfect balance of sweet/savoury/dry to make this a well balanced sake with great palate weight. As this sake ages it develops into even richer, more complex flavours. This is an interesting sake to match with food as it can be paired with sweet dishes with pastry, nuts and honey or can be used to match with rich ingredients like foie gras.