Hours & Information
Location:
107 SE Washington St. #121, Portland OR 97214
The first exterior door to the right of the SE Washington main entrance. We are also accessible via the interior lobby. Our interior window is adjacent to the Washington St. main entrance.
Hours:
Tuesday 1-7
Wednesday 1-7
Thursday 1-7
Friday 2-8
Saturday 1-7
Holiday extended hours, events & closures:
CLOSED: Winter break, January 1-6
Shipping:
$30 Flat-rate ground shipping, Oct-June
$40 Insulation/ice pack (Compulsory in Summer)
2-day express shipping (UPS) is per app calculations & available to all US states/counties to which alcohol is permitted to be shipped, with the exception of AK, HI, PR, and other US islands (for which packages of this weight are prohibitively expensive!)
This rate is discounted to $20 for club shipments, which can be adjusted up to a full case for no additional cost.
Orders are typically packed Monday, on truck Tuesday. Carbon offsets for all shipments are offered through EcoCart and all shipments are fulfilled in second-use boxes whenever possible.
During cooler months (average 60F and below), namazake is shipped in insulated packaging (second use styrofoam or reflectix pouch) without ice packs at the regular $30 rate.
In warmer months, ice packs and insulated shipping supplies (very bulky to store, very expensive to purchase at >$15/box) increases our costs, so flat rate is bumped up to $40 to ensure the sake arrives at your door in good condition.
During hot months, rates and offerings may change depending on what's necessary to ensure quality.
During unseasonal heat waves, we reserve the right to hold shipments until temperatures quell and will notify you of any such delays.
Age Restrictions:
Note that a 21+ year old, not visibly intoxicated, must be present to receive and sign for your order.
One of the first things you'll learn in sake is that you should always enjoy your bottles within 6 months, 12 months at most, of bottling date and that the bottles should be stored under continuous refrigeration at or near 5C. This is also one of those things you un-learn over time. Sunflower's position is that post-bottling age on sake is not universally negative, that it depends on the particular product and storage conditions, and that evolution in sake (as in wine) can be an interesting and welcome change.
One of the reasons I decided to include a bar in my shop is so that I can check on bottles regularly to ensure good condition. If a bottle hasn't rotated after shelf presence for 1-2 months, at around the 6 & 12 month mark and regularly onward, sake is opened/checked for condition (color, aroma, flavor, hine-ka) & shared at the bar to also get live feedback from customers. Particularly as an American purveyor of Japanese sake, I have to work within the assumption that all sake arrives (at best) 2-6 months from bottling and often longer. So I trust my palate-- as someone who tastes daily, critically and honed through WSET diploma, Advanced Sake Professional and other courses-- and that of my customers and peers to determine quality. With that said, any bottles marked down are somewhat at your own risk. Not marked down, please always let me know if they are not tasting/looking right-- I'd very much like the opportunity to make it right.
Here are the rules I follow for inventory management:
- All sake at Sunflower is sold or disposed of within 24 months of bottling (junmai/honjozo), ~18 months (ginjo/daiginjo), 12 months (nama) unless age is the intent/ acceptable by design (ex. Hanatomoe nama)
- At roughly biannual intervals (January & July) all bottles at the 12 month mark (ginjo/daiginjo), 18 month mark (junmai/honjozo), 8 month mark (nama) are tasted and assessed. These numbers can vary depending also on the supply chain, e.g. if the distributor uses cold chain (40F) or if they only use cool chain (55F).
- Bottles determined to be in good condition (aromatics within ~80% of usual, very minimal color change, 'true to style,' no off-flavors or aromas broadly classified as hine-ka-- DMTS, aldehyde, microbial or light taint, and tasting very good) are kept at price and closely monitored.
- Bottles determined to be of good flavor and aroma but with notable evolution, no DMTS, no microbial or light taint, and minimal color change, are marked down 10-50% depending on condition and of course, the condition/age is described honestly on inquiry. When possible the condition is updated and shared on the website as well. Many bottles of this condition are at their best for okan.
- Bottles determined to have evolved such that they are no longer true to style, or with detectible DMTS, any taint, notable color change, or otherwise just not tasty, are removed from sale entirely.
- Koshu, already deliberately aged sake, and high acid/high umami styles which can improve with age (ex. yamahai, kimoto, bodaimoto), varieties of rice suited to age (ex. omachi, yamadanishiki) often maintain price and are determined to be of good (i.e. delicious) condition longer than those which depend on volatile esters for style (ginjo, daiginjo, nama). So if you purchase an aged yamahai 2 years past bottling, chances are it has been taste tested and is humming right along happily, and has been marked down simply as a courtesy or to pass on savings from the distributor, so please enjoy it.
- "Natural" nama, i.e. Yoigokochi Selections & some Floating World, is designed for age & does not follow the above rules. As sake which is ageable and undergoes understood but highly variable aging curves, these are rarely, if ever, marked down, but their condition can vary. You can always send a message to ask about its current condition and I'll let you know how it was tasting the last time it was opened. If you purchase a bottle in an "off" phase, please store it in a cold place and check on it after 3-6 months.
