Type
Sakai Shuzo · Yamaguchi
Gokyo 5 Blue Kioke Zukuri Kimoto Nama Junmai
$49.00
No sales tax — Oregon
Rice
Yamadanishiki (Yamaguchi)
Prefecture
Yamaguchi
Flavor profileEach scale is our tasting-room read on where this bottle sits between two extremes — dry to sweet, light to full-bodied, soft to acidic, and subtle to aromatic. These are subjective, however, and will shift with food, serveware & temp.
DrySweetBalanced dry: reads as dry, with a little bit of softness, or maybe a fruit/brown sugar note that tempers the impression of dryness. Most people will read "2" as dry.
LightFullMedium: a bit of richness or creaminess, heft, more flavor intensity, more presence, sometimes higher alcohol or sweetness. A lot of namazake sits here.
SoftAcidicAcidic: bright, zippy, noticeable sourness, very often balanced by higher sweetness. Acidity is a key part of this sake's character, and might be heightened with special techniques, yeasts, koji, or CO2 gas.
SubtleAromaticModerate aroma: noticeable from the glass. Most often, moderate intensity aromas are either ginjo-ka (fruit, florals) or koshu-ka (nuts, mushroom, brown sugar).
Pairs with
It’s so good you’ll probably just drink it all before dinner, but if you pair, know that delicate cuisine can get lost. A test batch of karaage with sansho pepper & lemon was absolutely brilliant. Working with the fat & salt angle, classic broiled mackerel w/ lemon and a big side of soy sauce-laden fresh grated daikon, or korean fried chicken/ cauliflower. Pop it out for lazy sipping, or the same meals you’d want a tiki drink.
A max-voltage array of tropical zebra stripe, Rambler seltzer, and fermenty-wild essence of buttermilk, offset with a deep "sake" taste that is unmistakably old school. Juicy, vivid, acidic, tropical, and very much alive, this sake is a brilliant testament to the creativity and skill of Gokyo’s team. It's giving me Aram*sa vibes, as if it were a fun, funky, locals-only Southern version of the hypebeast Northern brewery, and I say that with utmost respect.
The Gokyo 5 series are expressions of sake brewed in kioke: that is, traditional
large wooden barrels of 1-5000 L capacity, made from sugi (cryptomeria) wood.
Utilized for >100 years in some cases, kioke don’t usually confer wood flavors (as
in oak barrels), but do add unique character by hosting a unique microbial
population in the pores of the wood & supplying oxygen during the fermentation.
By preparing Blue with the ~350 year old kimoto method which utilizes wild
bacteria to create acidity, Gokyo’s kioke evolve, and in turn, the “5” series as well.
Your case:
$30 flat-rate case shipping (up to 12 bottles) — the more you add, the less per bottle. Per federal requirements, an adult (21+) with photo ID must be present to receive the delivery.
Sake Club members: $20 shipping (up to 12 bottles) with your club bottles About the clubs
Specifications
Region: Chugoku
Type: Junmai
Style: Namazake, Kimoto
Rice: Yamadanishiki (Yamaguchi)
Rice-Polishing Ratio: 60%
ABV: 15.5%
SMV: +6
Acidity: 2.0
Yeast: Kumamoto KA4 (A variant of #901)
Size: 720ml
Shipping
Available nationwide to states and counties that permit alcohol. No sales tax (Oregon). Flat-rate case shipping; in-store pickup available.
Pick up in person
Shop open Tu–Sun. Order online and pick up at the shop — 107 SE Washington St. #121, Portland, Oregon.
