2023 Version: We upgraded the bottle due to last year's bottles had some issues of cork popping out from fermentation. Reduced thickness of the ori (rice particles) for a more refreshing and cleaner mouthfeel. Slightly increased ABV for a better balance with the sweetness. Strawberry amount adjusted for improved balance with the flavor of the sake. We made overall improvement to the quality of the product so we hope everyone enjoys this year's Hatsukoi!
HATSUKOI (strawberry nigori sake): Hatsukoi means “First Love” in Japanese. The name has been inspired by [Hatsukoi no Kaori] which is the name of one of the first white strawberries. The strawberry actually has a pinkish tinge just like our saké that turned out pink due to the combination of white cloudiness of the saké and red strawberries. Strawberry is often related to first love in Japan because the fruit is sweet and sour just like young, inexperienced love.
Limited
The HATSUKOI strawberry cloudy saké was inspired by Japan’s tradition of eating strawberry shortcake on Christmas. Therefore, we only produce this sake once a year during Christmas season.
LOCAL
We used 100% fresh Californian strawberries and of course our saké is made of 100% Californian Calrose rice polished to 50%.
This is a limited, seasonal release.
750ML 12.0% abv