We started with the Hakkaisan "AWA" sparkling sake. Awa means "bubbles" in Japanese, and the sparkling sake here is produced using secondary fermentation in the bottle, similar to the traditional champagne method. It's a very clean tasting sparkling sake, with just a touch of sweetness.
For the Awa, they paired with a silken tofu mousse, fresh wasabi and miyoga ginger, bonito dashi
We loved the texture of this tofu mousse.
Grilled maitake mushrooms, 90-day tare, shichimi togarashi
Next we tasted the Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo, which has a 50% rice polishing ratio. This is their signature junmai ginjo and is a smooth and crisp sake,
Little gem lettuce salad, summer stone fruit, fermented honey, candied almonds
We also had a beautifully plated Big Glory Bay salmon crudo, Persian cucumber, toasted pine nuts, herb pistou
Next: Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo. This one is Hakkaisan's classic sake, still on the drier side but with more body that holds up to heavier dishes. With this sake we ate tempura fried quail, szechuan pepper, charred lemon - possibly my favorite dish of the night.
The next sake is quite special: Hakkaisan Yukimuro. This sake has been snow aged for three years. Snow is packed around the sake tanks in an insulated room. Because of the cold temperature, the process takes three years, but it results in an amazingly smooth sake.
To go with the Yukimuro: Roasted prime NY steak, sauteed chrysanthemum greens, black sesame mole
Greek yogurt panna cotta, yuzu granita, puffed wild rice, bee pollen
I was certainly familiar with Hakkaisan as a sake brewery, but this was the first time I tasted more of their lineup than their junmai ginjo and I found myself a bigger fan of Hakkaisan. The Awa is a great sparkling sake and the Yukimuro is quite the special brew that I'll be looking forward to having in the future.
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