Learning about Sake at Spencer and Lynn

Recently, we went to a sake tasting at Spencer and Lynn. The presenter was Jeanine who made the evening fun and educational, and we got to taste six different sakes and one dessert "sake"! Here are the sakes that we tasted:

Sake	Notes	Price
Hakurakusei Tokubetsu Junmai	The sake is made at the Niizawa Sake Brewery by Nanami Watanabe, the youngest female Toji in Japan when she assumed the role in 2018 at 22 years old. The sake had aromas of apple, spice and honeydew melon. It tasted light on the palate.	$27
Atago no Matsu Tokubtesu Hongozo	This sake is also made at the Niizawa Sake Brewery by Nanami Watanabe. I felt that this sake was a bit more aggressive on the palate, possibly because it has a bit of added brewers alcohol. Without the "Junmai" label, it is permissible to add brewers alcohol to the sake.	$21
Chitose Tsuru "Kita Shizuku" Junmai Ginjo	The Kita Shizuku label informs us that the rice is grown in Hokkaido and is a cross between the native Ginpu and the heirloom Omachi rice. The sake had aromas of tropical fruit, pineapple and on the palate, honeydew melon with a hint of watercress for me.	$30
Kirinzan Junmai Daiginjo	The aromas on this sake was a bit reluctant to be coaxed to volatilize. When I finally did get the aromas, it had an umami nose and was slightly stinky (which is not a bad thing). The sake was very complex tasting and richer on the palate. The milling rate of the rice is 50% of the original size thus the "Daiginjo" label.	$90
Kamonishiki Junmai Daiginjo	This is an example of a "nama sake" meaning that it undergoes no filtration or pasterization. The aromas were very apparent beautiful tropical fruit aromas and the flavor was very delicate and delicious! This was by far my favorite sake of the evening.	$35
Hojo Biden Yamahai Junmai	The "Yamahai" on the label indicates that the sake was made in the traditional way by cultivating the natural lactic acid bacilli which exist in koji or in the wooden tools and tubs. The sake had a slightly mushroomy, earthy aroma and it was served to us warm and had flavors of chestnut and sweet potatoes.	$30
Hojun Yuzu	The last "sake" we tasted was one to which yuzu juice was added. If there is anything other than the rice, koji, yeast, brewers yeast and water added to the sake, it can no longer be labeled "sake". The Hojun Yuzu was a dessert "sake" tasting very much like a lighter version of lemoncello.	$30

Jeanine also provided this table which is a great way to understand the different types of sakes at a glance:

It was an amazing evening and we thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you Spencer and Lynn and Jeanine!