Hinoki Restaurant & Bar. Forest Hills, New York
A sake gem hiding out in New York’s “Outer Boroughs,” Hinoki is a great addition to the area’s selection of Japanese restaurants. It is, by far, the most “Izakaya” style spot in the area and sports a constantly evolving food menu headlined by a mix of traditional bar bites, skewers, and an increasingly large sushi selection. But the real stand-out at Hinoki is their sake list. Popular names like Hakkaisan, Kenbishi, Tatenokawa, and Kudoki Jozu adorn the menu alongside exceptional One Cups from Chiyomusubi and Kuruoshi. With more than 25 selections from all over Japan, Hinoki easily has one of the most comprehensive sake lists in the borough and it’s probably the only place in the area where the server will pour your sake for you at your table in the traditional “masu overflow” style. Cherish it.
Passport to Japan at Brooklyn Kura
New York's own Brooklyn Kura opened up their tap room to thirteen breweries from all over Japan to join them in giving brooklynites a chance to talk about sake with the very people who make it.
Every spring, the Sake Export Association hosts a series of fantastic events in New York featuring both brewers and brewery owners pouring and talking about their fantastic sake.
As a part of this year's festivities, New York's own Brooklyn Kura opened up their tap room to thirteen breweries from all over Japan to join them in giving brooklynites a chance to talk about sake with the very people who make it.
Brooklyn Kura has been hosting sake events since the opening of their Tap Room earlier this year.
Nanbu Shuzo's Takuya Nambu pours John a taste of their excellent Hanagaki UsunigoriJunmai Daiginjo.
Myshell, lover of Hiroshima Sake shares a moment with Miho Imada, brewer of Hiroshima Sake
Sake brewers, Kensuke Shichida, Yaichi Doi, and Yuri Honda take a moment to relax after pouring sake for thirsty customers
Brooklyn Kura
68 34th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11232
(347) 766-1601
Brooklyn Kura's Taproom Opening
Tonight we are at the long awaited opening of @brooklynkura ’s tap room! They are serving up five different varieties including an exclusive shiboritate and moromi!#sake #sakenyc #brooklynkura #shiboritate #nycsake #nyc (at Brooklyn Kura)
Sake Caliente ‘Sake Workshop’ at Brooklyn Kura
We spent a fantastic evening at @brooklynkura for Sake Caliente’s first ‘Sake Workshop’ event! We sampled 4 types of @nanbubijin 'Yuzo Special’ sakes both warm and room temperature. Yuzo Kuji is an expert at producing sake that is meant to be enjoyed warm. There was also a special Umami Butter themed dinner that was provided for pairing. You can check out some live footage on our Instagram story!
#brooklynkura #brooklyn #industrycity #nyc #sumsetpark #dake #nihonshu #hotsake #nycsake
Joy of Sake 2017 is Coming!
Joy of Sake NYC starts at 6:30 TOMORROW! 😳🍶😱🍶
We’ve got our mobile set-up ready to go and will be live streaming all throughout the event! There will be 380+ sakes available and we can’t wait to try them all!
Make sure you are subscribed to facebook.com/TheSakeNotes so you get notified each time we go live at the event!
There will also be a very special live stream of the Kagami-biraki before the main doors open!#kanpai #sake #nihonshu #sakenyc #joyofsake #joyofsake2017 #kagamibirakiipa
Joy of Sake Preview 2017!
We had the opportunity to take part in a special press preview tasting last week for the Joy of Sake New York and already have a few favorites! This year JoS is on Sept 27th and will feature over 380 different sakes and dishes from 16 outstanding NYC restaurants. This is, without a doubt, the largest and most exciting sake tasting event in North America. Take a look at our “must taste recommendations” below and go to www.joyofsake.com to buy your tickets today!
Isojiman’s Omachi Tokubetsu Junmai is a huge favorite of John’s, combining fruitiness with a delightfully dry finish
Myshell prefers her sake flavors bold, and Tamagawa always delivers! This is their “Heart of Gold” Daiginjo, and it was her favorite of the night.
The event was hosted at the lovely Sen Sakana in midtown, they will be one of the 16 New York restaurants serving up their famous dishes at this year’s show. Their Ceviche De Pescado is featured above
小石 Sakebar, Hiroshima, Japan
We came to Hiroshima for the local sake, here it is! #sake #jizake #日本酒 (at 小石 sakebar)
and some Juyundai
Amabuki Cup Sake Launch Party
Amabuki’s excellent and unique lineup of sake from their recent cup sake launch party. Coming this Summer to NYC! #sakestudies #sake #amabuki #junmai #onecup #summer #2017 #nihonshu #saga #日本酒 #佐賀 #穴吹不動産 (at Autre Kyo Ya)
Ninki Ichi Pairing Event at Azasu
Japan Quality. Ninki Ichi’s outstanding line of Fukushima Sake from a recent event at Azasu.
Another look at Nihonshu Stand Moto
Nihonshu Stand Moto! A must visit standing bar when you are in Shinjuku. They offer a very interesting selection of classic izakaya fare, and a revolving sake selection! The staff is very knowledgeable and will guide you through the ultimate sake tasting experience!
#sake #jikon #shinjuku #tokyo
#izakaya #tasting #Sony #ootd
#japan #日本酒 #じこん #東京 #新宿 #居酒屋 (at 日本酒スタンド酛)
Soul of Sake Amabuki Night
Flight of the Flowers sake flight at the fantastic #saikaidiningbar for #soulofsake hosted by @misssakeusa
#sake #amabuki #saga
#日本酒 #穴吹 #佐賀県 (at Saikai Dining Bar)
Jikon Tasting Flight at Ganko Oyaji Shinjuku
So much Jikon!
#sake
#jikon
#shinjuku
#tokyo
#sakebar (at 銘酒居酒屋 頑固おやじ)
Ninki-Ichi Brewery Sake Workshop
As part of a recent effort to bring attention to Fukushima’s award winning sake breweries, several events were held in the largest market for sake in North America, New York. This first event was held at Shigure in TriBeca and featured Ninki-Ichi’s Kuramoto, Yujin Yusa introducing a crowd of industry and media to his brewery’s offerings with a focus on the pairing possibilities for warmed premium sake!
Brewery Owner, Yujin Yusa with Chizuko Niikwawa-Helton of Sake Discoveries
Yusa San explaining the influence of temperature on flavor profile
Miss Sake USA, Jessica Joly assisted in presenting the pairings and providing translation for Yusa San
Shigure
277 Church St, New York, NY 10013
Hi-Collar Sake Masquerade
Sake slinging judoka, Sakaman Blue at Hi-Collar’s Sake Masquerade last Sunday night
#sake
#kuramoto
#gosakeman
#sakeman (at HI-Collar)
Hakkaisan Day at Ippudo Westside
Going through the photo backlog and came across some shots from the fantastic Hakkaisan Day event at Ippudo Westside. Making use of Miso Oil, Sea Water, and Hakkaisan Sake, Ippudo’s ramen master, Fumihiro “Foo” Kanegae, put together a truly fantastic blend of flavors that paired fantastically with their Tokobetsu Junmai.
Kurand Sake Market Wants to Conquer The World
It’s been said that Sake has an image problem.
In Japan, sake’s image has long been one of an “old man’s drink,” but there has been a quiet revolution brewing. In just a few short years, great strides have been made to broaden the appeal of Japan’s National Beverage and places like Liquor Innovations’ Kurand Sake Market have been leading the charge.
Kurand’s establishments try to provide an easygoing environment with informative labeling that appeals to the sake novice, while keeping a constantly rotating inventory of over 100 different labels to keep the seasoned sake drinker engaged. For 3240 Yen (about $30 USD), guests are welcome to try as many different labels as they wish, for as long as they like.
I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with Chris Hughes of Liquor Innovations to discuss his experiences and the future of KURAND.
The Sake Notes: What’s your role at Liquor Innovations? how did you get involved?
Chris Hughes: Just a quick recap if I may on how I ended up in Japan working in this industry.
In short, I discovered sake in London. I was working for a Japanese food and drink importer / supplier at the time and then one day I was told to take part in a sake training. The brewery who hosted the training, Nanbu Bijin, Iwate Prefecture, stole my heart with their amazing story and sake. I think it was the fact that sake is steeped in all the elements of Japanese culture which I fell in love with that hooked me. I spent the next 4 years selling sake to Japanese restaurants in London investing my time personally in the beverage. During this time I got to meet brewers face to face and learn from them all about their craft first hand. In 2014, I decided to come to Japan to learn more about the beverage and if possible get a bit of experience working in the industry. After visiting around 74 breweries and a year working for a Tatenokawa Shuzo in Yamagata as their Tokyo sales rep — which included a bit of experience brewing — a friend introduced me to the CEO of KURAND. From the moment we met, there was a connection. We both wanted the same thing. With the Olympics in 2020, we knew that the number of foreign visitors to Japan would increase and that there would be an opportunity we would never have again to promote sake far and wide. And so, I joined up, first as a full-time employee, later switching to freelance to allow me to take on other sake related projects. My current role is Inbound PR. My job generally involves producing English sake related media (keeping the English language site updated), PR via SNS and running events and lessons to create new fans of the beverage.
“This new youthful take on the beverage offers opportunities that were never there before”
TSN: Tell us about Kurand. What is your strategy? How did the idea come about?
Hughes: The company behind KURAND, liquor innovation Ltd — who’s parent company is themselves a sake supplier that has been around since the early 1900s — had already been developing a rich database of customers via their sake subscription service — a service which they still run with over 1000 members in tow — and regular events in and around Tokyo. They had also been creating special sakes together with the breweries. The idea for the bars came about from the desire to provide a stage for the boutique breweries that they had partnered with to promote their wares and gain a foothold in Tokyo; something which up until then only the bigger breweries had achieved.
The first bar opened as part of a crowd funding project and subsequent openings have followed suit. The key-point is that KURAND had already established a very strong media presence and a fan-base which allowed them to quickly meet their crowd funding target; it also gave them their first customer portfolio. The KURAND ethos is that to actually be able to hear the story of the craftsperson and see their face makes sake taste more delicious. But above all, KURAND is about providing an experience. Another motivation for the not just the bars but all everything that KURAND has done since the start, is the new interest in sake among young people and the new crop of brewers who are tapping into it. This new youthful take on the beverage offers opportunities that were never there before. For example: an opportunity to rid the beverage of its old man image and repackage it as something trendy and cool. This is what KURAND have been trying to do from the start. The bars are really just an extension of the same goal: to provide new added value to sake in as many forms as possible; to revolutionize the world through sake.
Incidentally, our strategy to entice non-Japanese has been to take advantage of the power of word-of-mouth really. We have spent hardly any money on advertising; nearly all the PR has been done online, via SNS or through word of mouth marketing. This we believe is the modern way of setting up a business from scratch.
“A lot of the sake we stock are made by young brewers who can reach out to their age group with the sake that they brew”
TSN: The crowd at Kurand tends to be younger than what we often see in sake bars and izakayas in Tokyo. We also see a lot of women at Kurand. what have you done to reach out to these non-traditional groups so successfully?
Chris: We have designed the selection of sakes around our target audience which is indeed young people. We have purposefully gone for sakes that tend to fall into the fruity sweet category and they are easier to palate than more traditional sakes. A lot of the sake we stock are made by young brewers who can reach out to their age group with the sake that they brew. We have also designed the bars to be trendy, cool and fashionable and designed a system which appeals to the complete sake beginner as opposed to the aficionado; although I think it appeals to both. I think it would be fair to say that even now there are still very few bars / companies that are doing the same thing.
TSN: Kurand has grown rapidly, going from one location to four in just over a year. Has Liquor Innovations had a road-map for this sort of expansion or did success take you by surprise?
Hughes: To an extent. The crowd funding strategy allows us to open bars quickly at little cost with a guaranteed customer portfolio from the outset. We don’t take this success for granted though. We are always trying to find new ways to reach out to new audiences and keep things fresh. The contents of our fridge are refreshed on a bi-monthly basis and new sakes are constantly devised, procured. The other important point is that we listen to feedback from our customers, so that we are always providing what they want.
“We are always trying to keep the events fresh and interesting.”
TSN: Kurand also sponsors SET (Sake Exchange Tokyo). Please tell us about SET, what goes on and what someone would expect from attending.
Hughes: SET is run via MEETUP. It currently has over 500 members who meet every Sunday and relax over a sake or two. The events are really just an extension of our all-you-can-taste setup but with a lecture and games and things thrown in. Sometimes, we switch the venue to the sake brewery and sometimes brewers themselves attend. We are always trying to keep the events fresh and interesting.
To cater for two different audiences: those which want to study about sake seriously and those which just want to have fun, we now run two separate strands: one which is basically just an international exchange party with sake… and a spot of bingo, and one with is more like a workshop with a professionally guided tasting of sake that are procured specially for the event.
JAPAN TIMES wrote a really good article about the [SET] events.
TSN: Liquor Innovations has an offshoot of Kurand, located in Shibuya, called Shugar. What is Shugar’s concept?
Hughes: SHUGAR’s concept is simply to provide a different route to sake through sweeter fruitier beverages that are cunningly made with a base of sake. The strategy appears to be working; we have seen an influx of new fans to KURAND who all started with the liqueurs at SHUGAR.
TSN: What’s next for Kurand and Liquor Innovations?
Hughes: We hope to expand outside Japan and conquer the world through sake.
Kurand Sake Market has branches in Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, and Asakusa. For more information including addresses and reservation details, go to https://kurand.jp/en/sakemarket/
Introducing: Myshell - Sake Kohai
In 2012, my now-husband, John introduced me to sake.
Before that, I don’t believe I had ever even heard of Sake - which isn’t surprising considering my Kentucky upbringing.
Even so, I could tell he was a sake fanatic. His apartment walls were decorated with beautiful bottles he had found and conquered. I enjoyed pointing out various bottles that had interesting shapes or pictures which he would pick up and smile while he told me the name and type, who he shared the bottle with and where, followed by a few reasons why he liked this particular flavor and type.
Junmai, Daiginjo, Onna Nakase… I had no idea what any of the words meant, but I liked that the bottle was square and green, and I could tell this sake - like so many others lining the wall - was more than a drink. Sake is a vessel to new experiences, friendships, and a link to a historical culture. I was excited to steal a glimpse into this secret and so recently completely unknown world.
I’m almost sorry to say I don’t remember exactly what my first sake was or even where I was when I had it. I’m sure it was lovely and smooth, probably something floral (as that is John’s go-to introductory-sake profile) I do however, remember exactly the first sake I fell in love with.
Narutotai Ginjo Nama Genshu, first served to me at Decibel in New York City. This sake comes in a can-like bottle and makes no excuses. The flavor is strong and unforgiving, and yet somehow rich, creamy and drinkable all the same. Narutotai is still a go to favorite of mine, even 4 years later.
As I was introduced to more sakes and sake-culture events, I began to keep my own internal shelf of beloved sakes and their surrounding experiences.
This has of course, lead to an actual shelf of prized and favorited sakes.
Each new restaurant, sake bar, and tasting event provides a new opportunity for me to learn. Learn how the drink is made, about the people who make it, and their own sake experiences. I am continuously intrigued as I add each unique story and sake lesson to my internal sake shelf.
I hope that a perspective from a new learner will help make the vast and ever changing world of sake more accessible to those that are new to the sake world,and those that are trying to learn as much as they can, as I still am.
Sake Bar Hagi 46
Sake Bar Hagi was the first izakaya that i had ever visited. Please not that this paradoxically happened after my first trip to Japan. Hagi became a nearly weekly ritual for my group of friends and was instrumental in my discovery and exploration of sake.
I recently learned about Hagi’s newly opened Hell’s Kitchen location and decided to pay them a visit armed with my new Sony A7II. This was my first time shooting full frame and, well, it shows. I feel as if I had gotten pretty good driving a Toyoda and someone just handed me the keys to a Ferrari. This is going to take some getting used to.
Kurand Sake Market, Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan, May 2015
If there’s going to be a bright future for Japanese Sake, places like Kurand Sake Market are going to be the ones who help make it happen.
Your humble narrator pouring some very interesting sake
Located in Ikebuko, (Note: they recently opened a new location in Asakusa that we have not yet visited) Kurand is an all-you-can-drink standing sake bar. 3000 yen (before tax) will get you access to their selection of more than 100 brews for as long as you can remain upright and/or coherent. Upon entrance, you’ll be given a checklist (ok, maybe it’s more of a menu and our use of the term “checklist” is an indication of editorial bias) of the day’s selections, complete with regional origin and flavor profile. Kurand’s stated goal is to promote smaller, lesser known breweries, so you’re not likely to find heavy hitters like Dassai or Hakkaisan here. In fact, if you’re a clueless gaijin like me, it’s likely that you’ll never have heard of any of the breweries being represented, and that’s probably the best part.
Once you start tasting, its not at all unusual to encounter staff or even other guests eager to talk about the various selections, their personal favorites, and as the night draws on, your interest in post-drinks karaoke. In an effort to keep their clientele upright, Kurand has a very strict water policy. Every 30 minutes, all guests are required to put down their sake (and Kurand staff will get on the PA and let everyone know when it’s time), fill a glass of water (and they do keep pitchers of water filled at your table at all times), and have a grand toast (of water). I want to say that this was the result of excellent planning, but i suspect it’s more a reaction to some tragic incidents in the past.
One thing you should know going in, while Kurand does have a small collection of food items available, the expectation at Kurand is that you bring your own food. We saw groups of people enjoying tables full of dishes, practical sake-themed picnics. Unprepared parties (like ours) could find themselves attempting to subsist on chips and pastries from the local convenience Store. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
All of the bottles have color coded tags indicating flavor profile
When i started visiting Tokyo years ago, it often seemed to me like sake was an "Old Man’s Game.” The 20s and 30s crowd were all drinking beer and the majority of people I encountered drinking sake were elderly men in suits, which struck me as being somewhat unsustainable. Despite the loads of sake organized in fantastically efficient ways and an excellent and knowledgeable staff, the thing that impressed me the most about Kurand was the crowd. There were friends, couples, coworkers, both young and old, male and female, all eating, drinking, and being oh, so merry!
Note: Kurand is very busy these days, so if you intend to go, it’s probably a really good idea to make a reservation at their website. Lately, Kurand has also been promoting foreigner-focused “Sake Exchange Tokyo” events, featuring guided tastings.
Ishii / Yougaku Ishii, Shinbashi, Tokyo, Japan, May 2015
A funny thing happened when we were in Shinbashi.
We were there mainly to visit an Izakaya called Ishii. The place came very highly recommended and was billed as “a real sake lover’s izakaya” tucked away in one of Shinbashi’s many alleys.
The evening started innocent enough, with us using our meager command of the Japanese language to muddle through and order sake that appealed to our tastes. It’s a tricky proposition, but we’ve gotten reasonably good at it.
I started the night with an unrecognized bottle of Dewazakura Junmai Ginjo. I’ve found that it’s usually a good idea to start off the evening with a familiar brand so that the bartender knows what sort of sake i’m into. It serves as a good baseline for recommendations. The owner, Hideyuki Ishii, quickly nailed down my tastes and was introducing me to fantastic new brews in no time.
Ishii lived up to the billing of a “sake lover’s Izakaya” and then some. It was easily one of the best experiences we had on our entire trip, and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, Ishii-san asked us a very surprising question.
“Do you like the 80s?”
In general, this is sort of an unusual question to be asked out of the blue, its somewhat more unusual when you’re on the other side of the world and have been drinking sake for two hours.
But… when the proprietor of an outstanding sake bar asks you if you’re into the 80s, you say “Yes.”
And this is when Ishii-san informed us that he ran a second bar, not very far away, with an even more robust sake selection, and a western 1980s music theme. Once I picked my jaw up from the floor we were off to our second destination, Yougaku Ishii.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we found an 80s sake bar in Tokyo, and it was amazing.
Yougaku Ishii is quite a bit larger then it’s more traditional cousin. The walls are adorned with 12" LPs and feature albums like Duran Duran’s Hungry like the Wolf and the Original Ghostbuster’s soundtrack (yes, really!). If the decor somehow doesn’t do the job of getting you into the 80s mood, then the blaring tunes should let you know what’s up. The music here is primarily done by request, with patrons encouraged to select their favorite tracks out of a Karaoke-style song book that is a whose who of classics from the era, complete with music videos.
I’ve gotten the feeling that there’s been a real effort in recent times to make sake more accessible and “cool” to new people. Places like Yougaku Ishii and Kurand Sake Market (which i’ll post about soon!) tend to have younger crowds then what i’m used to seeing in your typical Tokyo Izakaya. I hope places like these will help
I cannot recommend Ishii and Yogaku Ishii enough, they should be a staple of any sake enthusiast’s trip to Tokyo. Make a note though, both establishments are closed on weekends!
Ishii | Shimbashi 2-15-10, Ishibashi Bldg 1F Tokyo, Minato-ku
Yougaku Ishii | Yubinbango105-0004, Tokyo, Minato-ku, Shinbashi 2-10-1 3F