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\u201cSake made in the States is ready for its close-up!\u201d says Timothy Sullivan, pointing to the growing domestic industry, with new breweries opening regularly.\u00a0Enamored by the complexity of sake, Sullivan has spent the past two decades exploring, learning, and promoting the category. A certified WSET Level 3 sake educator, Sullivan is also the founding president of the American Sake Association<\/a>, and in 2020 launched his Sake Revolution podcast<\/a>. Based in New York City and currently serving as the director of education at the Brooklyn Kura Sake Studies Center<\/a>, Sullivan eagerly shares his recs for bottles of American-made sake. \u201cWe are now witnessing a unique American sake style emerge as more and more domestic producers pop up,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Brooklyn Kura was New York state\u2019s first sake brewery when they opened their facility in 2018, and they continue to brew both traditional styles of sake as well as more experimental batches with ingredients like hops. \u201c\u2018Number Fourteen\u2019 is a flagship sake for the Brooklyn Kura brand,\u201d says Sullivan. \u201cProduced with domestically grown Yamadanishiki and Calrose rice and using New York City\u2019s famously soft water from the Catskills region, the sake has a flavor that\u2019s fresh and juicy with notes of melon.\u201d $35, tippsysake.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Yoshihiro Sako was a longtime bartender and sake sommelier. But to more fully understand sake, he wanted to brew it himself, founding Den Sake Brewery<\/a> in Oakland in 2017. \u201cThe Den brand is truly small-batch sake,\u201d says Sullivan, recommending the \u201cRed Label\u201d Junmai Ginjo. Made with Yamadanishiki sake rice grown in California\u2019s Central Valley, the well-balanced sake displays bright and fruity characteristics with a hint of savory umami. $34, truesake.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSequoia is a local brewery in San Francisco and produces a popular line of unpasteurized sake,\u201d says Sullivan. Founded in 2015, Sequoia Sake specializes in these lively, unpasteurized sakes that highlight the brew\u2019s fruity notes. \u201cThis Junmai Ginjo Nama is rich and velvety in texture, and is best enjoyed from a wine glass to capture the apple, citrus, and rice aromas,\u201d Sullivan says. $36.50, sequoiasake.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHot Springs, Arkansas, is one of the premier rice-growing regions in the United States,\u201d explains Sullivan. With farmers such as Isbell Farms specializing in Japanese rice varieties, the region is contributing to the booming growth of domestic sake, and brewers like Origami Sake, founded in 2022, source directly from the farm. \u201cUsing hyper-local sake rice, they produce their \u2018Thousand Cranes\u2019 sake, which has a nice acidity and crisp finish,\u201d says Sullivan. See drinkorigami.com<\/a> for distribution.<\/em><\/p>\n A longtime chef with an interest in the alchemy of fermentation, Byron Stithem founded Proper Sake in 2016. \u201cStithem makes his sake in Nashville, Tennessee, and has become a champion of the Yamahai sake production method,\u201d says Sullivan. The traditional approach to brewing relies on naturally occurring bacteria in the air to cultivate lactic acid. \u201cThis old-school, fermentation-starter method brings in extradepth of flavor, making this sake a standout.\u201d $28, propersake.co<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nBrooklyn Kura, \u201cNumber Fourteen\u201d Junmai Ginjo Nama\u00a0<\/h5>\n
Den, Yamada Nishiki, \u201cRed Label\u201d Junmai Ginjo<\/h5>\n
Sequoia, Junmai Ginjo Nama<\/h5>\n
Origami Sake, \u201cA Thousand Cranes\u201d<\/h5>\n
Proper Sake, \u201cThe Diplomat\u201d Junmai Ginjo Yamahai<\/h5>\n