Please note, this product is not available for shipping. It is available for free pick-up or delivery in Portland, OR.

Naginata is easily the best sake made outside of Japan. Saké One's Brewmaster Takumi Kuwabara sought out to produce an ultra-premium American-made sake and ended up knocking his vision out of the park. What he created in Saké One's Naginata Junmai Daiginjo is artful, poetic, and exemplary of the brewmaster's talent and attentive craftsmanship. 

This is the first batch of Naginata, released in September of 2020 from Oregon's own Saké One brewery in Forest Grove. Each bottle his hand numbered and initialed by Brewmaster Kuwabara-san himself. The first batch is limited to 589 bottles. We expect this sake to become scarce very fast. 

The most highly evident mark of Kuwabara-san's deft brewing is the Naginata's textural, aromatic, and flavorful interplay within a lithe and multifaceted structure. Herbaceousness mixes pleasantly with tangerine, banana, and ripe blueberry on the nose. There's a wonderful aroma of fresh fallen rain as well, which couples Naginata cheerily to its Oregon roots. The palate shows prismatic apple, lime, and kola nut flavors emerging from a medium bodied, powerful, dry and structured backbone. The finish is pleasant and long, carried by the soft acidity. I feel like this sake is so so smartly crafted for US palates. 

Naginata has already received a Gold Medal (94pts.) in 2020 from the Beverage Tasting Institute. It is made with 100% Yamada Nishiki rice (grown in Arkansas and polished to 40% by Saké One themselves), Saké One's own proprietary yeast, Yamada Nishiki Koji, and water.  

Naginata is great chilled and at room temp, but a real sweet spot emerges at about 60 degrees (put it in the fridge for an hour). Have this with garlicky shellfish (sake steamed clams or mussels... mmm.), creamy sauced dishes, sashimi, or for fun, anything fried and salty.