Event on July 2nd at Hi-Times in Costa Mesa. Not familiar with Philip Harper but Hi-Times puts on good tastings.
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Oh man! Heās a legend. Kerry Tamura from World Sake considers him a mentor. Iām so tempted to make that trek!
I would highly recommend all of you SoCal FTCers who are interested in sake to attend this. Heās one of the greatest brew masters around and his sake is truly amazing, although my preferences are the nama lower end. The white label muroka Nama Genshu Yamahai is ridiculously great but heavy duty. The Time Machine is a dessert type sake that has some food pairing possibilities and is even better at pairing with foie gras (even with duck liver) than a Sauternes. Single Thread in NorCal has been pairing foie with the Time Machine for some time.
Philip doesnāt normally travel outside of Japan, and last time he was in NorCal it was for a conference.
If anything itās a fantastic hands on education. Iām sure Kerry will be there.
Make sure to at least taste:
Tokubetsu Junmai
White label Muroka Nama Genshu yamahai
Red label Muroka Nama Genshu Yamahai
Kinsho Daiginjo
Time Machine
Ice Breaker Junmai Ginjo Genshu (summer sake, itās quite powerful)
Though since it is Hi Time it may be limited to what the shop offers though get in touch with Kerry and see if he can push for a tasting of the entire lineup and request white label and Time Machine for tasting and to make that opportunity to be able to buy them after tastingā¦
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Sold! Iām in.
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Let me know how it is. Iām going to be in NYC but would have definitely gone otherwise. Trying to learn more about sake and this thread has been an amazing resource.
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Another sake-related event (of sorts): Taka Nagayama of Take Sake Brewery will be the āhostā at new NYC restaurant Niche Niche on July 12:
Every night, a different host curates a selection of beverages and the kitchen serves dishes to match. Takaās āNoble Arrowā Tokubetsu Junmai is delicious, but I think the only one of his brews available in the states. Hoping he is bringing at least a few other of his brews.
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I got a res in the 6pm seating (also an 8pm). Currently there is no more availability, but thereās a waitlist in Resy, and likely to be cancellations the week of.
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Ah, Iām so bummed I missed this post! 
I never read this section. Hope it was fun.
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Hi-Time Wine Cellars presents an evening with Philip Harper (kindaā) featuring his Tamagawa Sake from the Kinoshita Brewing Co. in Kyoto, Japan
This tasting was a littleā¦ ummmā¦ loose and fluid (no pun). There wasnāt a lot of info previous to the event and we didnāt know it was a sit down. We bought two tix then the next day another for my cousin. Had I known it was a sit down, table thing I would have made sure the 3 of us were sitting together when I bought the 3rd tix. They first had my cousin sitting separately. It was straightened out, but we missed the first pour and had to catch-up. Iāll try to describe each sake as best I can. As I said, things were a little loose and the order of the sake lineup was out of order. To complicate things more they were taking orders for sushi (for an additional price) in between pours. We passed on that part.
The Printed Lineup
The Actual Lineup 
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#2 Kinsho Daiginjo āHeart of Goldā - Because of the table mixup we had this first. It has a really soft mouthfeel, definite melon flavor, grape-y w/almost a port or sherry quality. A strong finish that as a newbie I thought tasted almost like ocean, but pros describe it as flinty & mineral.
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#1 Nama Genshu āIce Breakerā - This bottle of unpasteurized sake was room temp cool, not chilled and they served it with a couple of ice cubes in the glass. I couldnāt help but speculate on what my sake guru @beefnoguy would say. Nonetheless I really enjoyed this one. Wonderful, big nutty, creamy nose, but cool, refreshing w/a hint of citrus or melon. My favorite of the tasting. I had it at the counter to buy, but the checkout person was having a hard time w/the sku # or something and we were ready to get out of there, so I passed.
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#5 Tokubetsu Junmai āHeart of Oakā - because of ātechnical difficultiesā (waiting for āred labelā to heat) we were served this twice. Is rice-y an okay word? Because thatās what comes to mind. Thereās also a bit of berry, w/a tingling, zingy mouthfeel, but also a savory quality. Good for cooked / fried food.
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#3 & #4 Heirloom Yamahai Genshu āRed Labelā One Warmed & One Room Temp. Itās a big one w/a big rice smell or possibly the ferment-y ambient yeast. Whatever it is it lit up my mouth. Tingle! There are so many things and more to be explored w/this one - slight sweet, oily nut like a pistachio, acidic & citrus enveloped in this BIG herbal, swampy, almost moldy flavor. At that point in the eve I wasnāt paying full attention to the warm vs room temp, except for the warm pour had a funkier mushroom, herbal aroma & flavor. I would love to try this sake with a funky cheese as recommended.
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#6 Heirloom Amber Sake āTime Machineā - Oh lawd! A 300 yr old recipe. My first smell and taste was sautĆ©ed vegetables, syrupy soy sauce, liquid aminos. I did not get the sweet at first and thought Philip-san was trippinā when he said it was good over vanilla ice cream. Luckily my cousin did not like it at all and slid hers over to me. Just that little air-time in her glass brought out a smokey sweetness. I can definitely imagine it with foie or good ankimo @beefnoguy.
Because of the little to no filtering of the sakes the colors and hues are really special. To my taste it also adds a slight sherry or port flavor profile to a few of the sakes.
With all that was going on I cannot confidently name which sake is which in the glasses (nice glasses btw). Here are some photos just to give an example of the pretty, golden, sunny hues of this interesting sake.
This is either #1 āIce Breakerā OR #2 āHeart of Goldā
#3 Heirloom Yamahai Genshu āRed Labelā - Warmed
We almost didnāt get this in a cup. Philip-san explained how we should drink this warmed sake in a cup not a glass to get less of a powerful nose punch (paraphrasing). When someone asked āHow will we be drinking ours tonight?ā he said āIn a glassā. He realized his mistake, they laughed, he laughed and said something like āWell you donāt always have to follow that ruleā then promptly had it served in a cup. Thank you.
#4 Heirloom Yamahai Genshu āRed Labelā Room Temp or #5 Tokubetsu Junmai āHeart of Oakā
Heirloom Amber Sake āTime Machineā-Unmistakeable
Now about Philip. Philip-san was there representing Philip-san. Not to say he was all about himself. Itās just that it was clear the event was just as much about getting the chance to meet and listen to the famed, first non-Japanese toji, as it was about Tamagawa sake. Meaning, these tastings are not his bread and butter and it showed in the slight haphazardness of the event, which may or may not have been aided by the Hi-Time staff. Unlike Kerry Tamuraās tasting at K&L Wines. Kerry-san has a goal and a job to do. Itās to represent and spread the World Sake word in L.A. He is warm, friendly, creative and patiently welcoming of questions, but also focused and very prepared. This is not to say Mr Harper was not friendly (to some folks) and we didnāt have a good time. We did! But thatās what it was. A good time drinking sake. The setup was not very conducive to learning, which makes reporting a little problematic. 
Sushi Shibucho
As I mentioned on another thread, the original plan was to attend the tasting then eat at Kappo Sui. But they were inexplicably booked on a Tuesday. Second choice was Sushi Shibucho in Costa Mesa.
I bought this sake based on @beefnoguyās recommendation that it would go really well with noodles, steamed dishes, deep fried things and sautĆ©ed foods at Kappo Sui. I was so looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it didnāt do a lot for a spread of nigiri. But no biggie. We still enjoyed the food and the sake and each other.
Battera
I am a convert!
Hokkigai (surf clam), Ebi (shrimp), Scallop, Toro (fatty tuna), Salmon Skin Roll
Tuna Roll, Cucumber Roll, Unagi Roll (eel/cucumber), Tamago (egg)
This was a lovely, traditional, pristine spread of sushi. There was no wasabi provided (on purpose) and the maki were more than sufficiently wasabiād, especially the cucumber roll - a definite sinus clearer. The only off pieces imo were the ebi. And I discovered I donāt love surf clam. But if you like your tamago on the sweet side this one is for you. It was light & fluffy & delicious.
At first I thought I finally found that illusive, grumpy itamae. The itamae, Naga-san, looked kindaā young to be the version in my mind. But when we came in the place was empty and we started to sit at his bar. He immediately said āWe donāt serve rolls.ā āOkay.ā āDo you serve battera?ā āYes, but only at the tables, not the bar.ā āWhat? Okay, no problem.ā He finally relaxed, smiled and said āThese are my fatherās rules and I canāt change them.ā Okay, we got grumpy itamae by proxy. 
Itās a start. And psstā¦ they do serve rolls, just not the crazy ones.
$171.00 (pre-tip) incl. $25 corkage. We decided to pay the corkage rather than spend money on a sake we didnāt know.
Interesting Evening!
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Brilliant report, and thanks so much! Fantastic coverage and details, you did great!!
The Tamagawa Kinsho would probably have been the better choice for Sushi Shibucho, too bad you couldnāt make it to Kappo Sui.
I like the Heart of Oak since the first time I ever tried it, which was during lunch at Aburiya Raku. The latest bottles Iāve seen say 2016 BY, so this was aged about 3 years before release (or maybe 2 plus whatever time spent in the bottle prior to anyone purchasing/time to market/retail). It is a bit amber in tone but has good solid umami. It could in theory work with sushi, but you would probably have to take it to the likes of Sushi Ginza Onodera, or the heavier flavors of Shunji. Shibucho strikes me as a place whose nigiri is a lot lighter flavored in comparison.
The Red and White labels are my most favorites of the lineup. The white label has notes of goat cheese, Epoisse, and Asian yogurt drinks (and a crapload of umami as well), and all of this depends on the batch, and whether you still taste that nama character. Very strong, super acidic and very high alcohol, yet it doesnāt seem so overbearing depending on your preferences. People have told me that Philip likes these hardcore nama sake at room temperature and you could even store them outside a refrigeratorā¦ the owner of True Sake has even tried aging them and even warming them as well. Both of these are built to really withstand a beating and its profile and character changes in quite a number of interesting ways. The aromas get more wicked in a wider glass (white wine or Burgundy will get a lot out of it and will make the finish less harsh).
Isnāt the Time Machine splendid? Iāve had it several times already and the more recent batches seem to be a bit more mellow and less acidic. The last bottle I had drank so easy my friend and I finished it without pairing anything (maybe a bit of nibbling with cheese). If you can find a restaurant that will do foie gras ice cream, that would be quite an incredible pairing for this (best of both worlds). Pretty sure this would be great with any dessert (particularly ones with Japanese sensibilities). Itās a nice change of pace from say, plum wine/umeshu.
Ice Breaker, Iāve had once. Not really a fan, it tastes more like a strong Ginjo than a Junmai Ginjo. I guess you have to be in a certain mood for this one.
Tamagawa is definitely not for beginners but wine drinkers should be able to get it more. They are a league of their own for sure. Thereās so much from their portfolio that is unfortunately not exportedā¦ and my sake geek restaurant owner friends in Tokyo are huge fans too (one of which owns a sake bar and occasionally serves it if she can get it in).
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Thanks @beefnoguy! 
Yes, I was imagining the possibilities of the āTime Machineā. One guy got up from his table and bought some salami & cheese to eat with his pour. 
Very interesting about Tamagawaās Nama. My Beefnoguy Beginnerās course teaches ākeep the nama chilled!ā When they served the Ice Breaker room temp over ice I thought āHumphā¦ this isnāt how itās supposed to be. Theyāre cheating. What would beefnoguy say?ā Then I read the serving notes. This one was served exactly as intended and beefnoguy says so tooā¦ So nah.
Heart of Oak
Exactly this. The nigiri at Shibucho is very clean in preparation & flavor. It just wasnāt a love match with this sake.
These are also the type of things I wanted to explore. And I wish I was able to take snaps of all the bottles. But as you say, keep going to tastings and keep reporting. 
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I never tried the Ice Breaker with ice cubes, thatās to help dilute it just a touch since it is a genshu and more alcohol and sharper ginjo profiles. Room temperature is probably more ideal for the aromas. Iāll have to retry it again sometime to see if I would like it again.
Itās a bit counter intuitive given the profile/flavor, but the Ice Breaker is actually designed as a summer release/summer sake which are generally lighter in flavor / lighter bodied and less alcohol.
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I guess they knew what they were doing with those couple of ice cubes I was scorning. I didnāt get the sharpness. There was a punch, but a refreshing one. And a welcome one after that drive. Kanpai!
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anyone try Osake in Granville, BC?
https://www.artisansakemaker.com/about
I was at Granville Island this past week but i wasnāt able to stop by plus I donāt know a lot about sake.
Has anyone tried?
I havenāt seen that in NYC, nor have I tried it. Not a huge fan of the label art though. But that of course can be deceiving!
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Thanks, @PorkyBelly!
I have some qualms with some of the details, but generally a good, self-contained intro to sake!
Try not to stay away from saying things like dry vs. sweet. Determine if youād like something fruity, floral or aromatic.
I get frustrated with Eater LA for their editing, but it seems that even the LA Times is employing more laxed editing standards for the online publications.
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Agreed, for a general article itās a good start.
My comments:
The articleās content primarily centers around the sake sourced from the listed distributors that make up Ototoās sake menu. There are some generalizations, but Iād say some representations or details that are also missing.
For example, Niigata sake tends to have a razor quick finish (at least in my experience). Basically, flavor in the mouth, and gone with the wind. Red wine lovers love long finishes, so this is not something that group would appreciate as much.
Sake from Akita prefecture tend to be more aromatic, and certain breweries are able to coax additional scentsā¦ , maybe a bit on the fruitier side since the food can be salty (especially the pickles). The newer styles of unpasteurized sake have effervescence, and even cascading acidity with astringency as it goes down your throat, and some drink more like a good white wine. I think clean and pristine speaks more to Yamagata prefecture than anything else.
Itās easier to discuss hot sake and the varying names and temperatures if using degrees C scale.
45 C and 50 C is a solid range, but even these two could have slightly remarkable differences in the drinking experience. I would add the Japanese term for enjoying a hot sake and letting it come back down in temperature which is a different experience in itself.
Some of the generalizations could be a result of whatever is exported and is now part of the sake menu at Ototo, but does not represent the prefectureās sakes themselves entirely.
I just went to Domaine LAās website, there is not a single bottle of sake in the online store, and no search results for āsakeā, ādaiginjoā or ājunmaiā. If you search by country, two results for Japanese whiskey (no age statement).
So to help LA Times
sakayanyc.com
mmsake.com (order online, pickup somewhere in LAā¦not sure if they are reliable)
Where to buy in SoCal:
Mel & Rose (wine shoSpop)
Hi Time Wine (Costa Mesa wine shop)
John & Peteās (W.Hollywood)
K&L (Hollywood)
Tokyo Central
Mitsuwa
Marukai
Nijiya (smaller selection)
Wine House (LA)
Any others Iām missing?
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