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- - Sake? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan/300336-sake.html)

Someone asked me to bring back a good bottle of sake from Japan. I would appreciate any recommendations as for what brand to get and where. I'm in Kyoto right now and will be back in Tokyo for a couple of days.

If price is no object (USD 60+++ per bottle) and you want something special (both excellent, rare and recognizable), try one of the Kikuhime premium sakes ("BY", "GIN", Kurogin or Kukurihime, for example). For a fraction of that price try Kameizume (hard to find and great value). There are as many sakes as there is wine (and with a similar range of flavour and quality), so it is really impossible to give you advice blindly, but if you mention those names to the store clerk they will recognize what quality level you are looking for. Personally I prefer Momokawa Pearl (made in the US but otherwise authentic).

Thanks, I've written the names down so I can show them at the store.

Number 6 - thanks for the advice! I always try to bring home something good/different, but it's hard to know what's what with sake.

In return, I can tell you where you can buy Penfold's Bin 707 for $68/bottle and the 407 for under $20. Haven't had the former but love the latter!

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JHunter:
[BIn return, I can tell you where you can buy Penfold's Bin 707 for $68/bottle and the 407 for under $20. Haven't had the former but love the latter![/B]</font>

The 407 is OK, not great; 707 is much better (well worth the price difference) but it is a heavy style of cab which requires aging. Those prices are average, even for the US (I know a restaurant in FL that serves Bin 407 at $26/bottle!); thank you for the offer but it doesn't excite me. At the moment my interest has switched to Grange and to the fabulous for the price St. Henri Shiraz.
Sake is very tricky to recommend, there are tremendous nuances and variation ... also the pricing is much less rational than for western wine (price and enjoyment are loosely coupled). But a corollary to that is some very cheap sake can be very good (as with most Momakawa labels). Their infused sakes are also fabulous (very non-traditional but superb).

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by number_6:
But a corollary to that is some very cheap sake can be very good (as with most Momakawa labels). Their infused sakes are also fabulous (very non-traditional but superb).</font>

appreciate the "cheap" brand suggestion.
I picked up a bottle of Momakawa Diamond for US$12, see: http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...ML/000154.html

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