Sake labels stop being intimidating once four words are decoded: junmai (pure rice, nothing added), daiginjo (rice polished to half or less, for aroma), genshu (undiluted, so stronger) and umeshu (plum wine, sake's sweet cousin). Del Mesa Liquor, a family-owned liquor store in San Diego, California, stocks a compact sake shelf built around one Hyogo brewery and an American-brewed classic. Every bottle below is in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor today.
The sake bottles
- Gekkeikan Black and Gold Sake — $19.99 (in stock). America's junmai, in the black bottle. Brewed in Folsom, California by Gekkeikan Sake (USA), Black and Gold is a junmai-shu — pure rice sake with no distilled alcohol added — blended by the brewmaster from two fermentations milled to 60% and 70% polishing ratios. Full-bodied at 15.6% ABV, with honeydew, papaya, anise and roasted nuts. 750mL.
- Akashi-Tai Junmai Tokubetsu Sake — $39.99 (in stock). The traditionalist's junmai. Akashi-Tai's Junmai Tokubetsu is brewed in Hyogo, Japan from 100% Yamadanishiki — the king of sake rice — polished to 60%, with rice, koji and water only. Full-bodied and creamy at 15% ABV, with pear and ripe banana; the bottle to try warm as well as chilled.
- Akashi-Tai Daiginjo Genshu Sake — $59.99 (in stock). The top of the polishing ladder, undiluted. This daiginjo genshu takes Yamadanishiki polished all the way to 38% and bottles it without the water addition most sake gets, landing at 17% ABV with melon, citrus and floral aromatics over a long finish. Serve it well chilled, in a wine glass, and take your time.
And now for plum: umeshu
- Akashi-Tai Shiraume Ginjo Umeshu Sake — $27.99 (in stock). Plum wine done the slow way: shiraume plums macerated for six months in premium ginjo sake — not the distilled spirit most umeshu is built on — at the Akashi Sake Brewery in Hyogo. At 14% ABV it pours sweet and silky with prune and marzipan depth. Serve chilled or over one big ice cube.
- Fu-Ki Plum Sake — $13.99 (in stock). The easy-drinking classic: a 9% ABV Japanese plum wine from Godo Shusei, made from grape wine with plum and natural flavors, from plums picked at dawn and processed the same day. Light, juicy and low-proof — an aperitif or a spritz base. 750mL.
Start with the Gekkeikan if you want one bottle that shows what junmai is, or the Daiginjo Genshu if you want to see how far polishing and patience can take rice. The whole shelf lives in our sake collection; Japan-curious drinkers should also see our Japanese whisky guide, and our FAQs cover ordering. Orders ship under our shipping and return policy.
Frequently asked questions
What does junmai mean on a sake label?
Junmai means "pure rice": the sake is brewed from rice, koji and water only, with no distilled alcohol added. Junmai sakes like Gekkeikan Black and Gold and Akashi-Tai Junmai Tokubetsu tend to pour fuller and more savory than alcohol-adjusted styles.
What is the difference between ginjo and daiginjo sake?
Both name how far the rice was polished before brewing. Ginjo rice is milled to at least 60% of its original size; daiginjo goes to 50% or less — Akashi-Tai's Daiginjo Genshu reaches 38%. More polishing means a more aromatic, delicate sake, and usually a higher price.
What is genshu sake?
Genshu is undiluted sake. Most sake is cut with water to about 15% ABV before bottling; genshu skips that step, so it lands stronger and more concentrated — Akashi-Tai's Daiginjo Genshu is 17% ABV. Serve it chilled, in small pours.
What is umeshu, and how do you drink it?
Umeshu is Japanese plum wine: ume plums steeped in a base spirit or, in Akashi-Tai Shiraume's case, in ginjo sake for six months. It is sweet, low in alcohol (9-14% ABV) and best served chilled, on the rocks, or lengthened with soda as a spritz.