Recently I attended a special Hakkaisan tasting party in Tokyo! The night included indulging on a delicious Japanese course meal cooked by, Mackey Makimoto, a famous food critic/consultant who is known as the “Tabe-arukist (食べ歩きスト) ”
in Japan, while sipping on a variety of Hakkaisan sake flavors!

The Japanese alcoholic-drink, sake, made of fermented rice and water is known as a staple in Japanese cuisine. The challenge for foreigners is deciding on which sake brand to drink…I highly recommend Hakkaisan!

Hakkaisan is one of the highest quality sake brands in Japan. It is located in Niigata, Japan. Here in Niigata you will find some of the highest quality rice fields and water, which is why it is the perfect environment to make the most premium Hakkaisan sake. The sake making process is very specialized, which involves extreme techniques along with a thoroughly conducted process done by the sake brewery master, called toji. Japanese people drink sake at home, at restaurants/bars, and when celebrating.

The course menu of the night

Mackey Makimoto and I

Mackey Makimoto cooking the course meal of the night, which focused on premium meats that paired well with our sake tasting

I especially liked the nabe Mackey Makimoto made!

My favorite sake of the night was the Hakkaisan sparkling sake, which I’m holding alongside the Hakkaisan staff

The Hakkaisan brand also offers premium beer, non-alcoholic drinks, and the fantastic plum wines, seen in the picture above.

I hope you all get a chance to enjoy a sip of sake soon!
Thanks for reading,
Kisses!
-C

Hakkaisan(八海山)
千年こうじや　http://www.sennen-koujiya.jp/