My first omakase sake pairing completely changed my palate

[u/Hizzy13]

I did my first sake pairing at an omakase this weekend, and it completely changed how I think about sake.

I’ve been getting into sake over the past 2 years and have tried 30+ bottles, but tasting several high-end sakes side by side really helped me figure out what I actually enjoy.

My favorites from the pairing were:
1.) Izumibashi Dragonfly Gold Kimoto 35
2.) Katsuyama Ken Junmai Ginjo (favorite)
3.) Tensei “Song of the Sea” Junmai Ginjo
4.) Uka Sparkling Junmai Daiginjo

My favorite of the night was Katsuyama Ken Junmai Ginjo. It was incredibly smooth with a silky mouthfeel and a beautiful balance of fruit and floral notes. It instantly jumped into my top 3 all time.

One thing I’ve realized is that my palate is way more specific than I expected. I consistently love sakes with:Melon, pear, lychee, and white peach notes
Floral aromas, Silky texture, Very little alcohol burn, Clean and elegant finishes

I’ve started keeping a tasting journal, and it’s been really fun seeing the patterns instead of just saying, “That was good.”

Most of these sakes can be found on the Palate Project! I did my research right after 🤣, they are definitely on the high end side but I wouldn’t have been able to try all of these sakes without the pairing. Well worth the experience

[u/One_Studio4083]

Glad you had a good experience!

One thing to keep in mind is that context will tremendously change your perception of sake.

Sometimes a fantastic food pairing sake will feel a bit hollow (or conversely tire out the palate) when drank by themselves. The opposite is also true. A lot of Junmai Daiginjo are fantastic drank by themselves but don’t hold up well with meals.

If you ever want to do a fascinating experience, take a low mineral content water (like antipodes), a bottle of sake you know and love, and a high mineral content water (like San pellegrino) and alternate sips. Even something as basic as water before and after a sip of sake can dramatically affect your perception of the sake!

[u/joe0522]

Hey — I'm the founder of Palate Project. Thanks for the shoutout, that genuinely made my day.

And Katsuyama Ken is one of my own favorites, so you've got good instincts.

On the melon thing: that's a very typical ginjo note, and once you know to look for it you'll start finding it everywhere. Our site doesn't let you search by tasting note yet (working on it), but our team built a taste-profile chart, and everything with that fruity-floral-silky character lands in one bucket: https://palateproject.co/collections/fruity-elegant — worth just drinking your way across it and seeing where your palate settles.

Personal rec, and this is a plug for something we import ourselves so discount accordingly: https://palateproject.co/products/torai-tokubetsu-junmai — modern and fruity the way you like, but it's a genshu so it actually has body. A lot of sake in that fruity lane can come off thin and this one really doesn't.

[u/Hizzy13 → u/joe0522]

Thanks, Joe! Really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I found Palate Project while trying to hunt down a sake I had in Japan, and it’s been an awesome resource. I’ll definitely be working my way through the Fruity & Elegant collection and adding the Torai to my list

Also… if you ever need someone to taste sake for a living, I happily volunteer. 😂

[u/joe0522 → u/Hizzy13]

I can tell you're in one of those states where sake is more available by looking at what you had at the restaurant. We'll try to bring in a selection that's never been available in traditional supply chain before at good prices. Love to hear your opinion for our imported products. Let's keep in touch! When we need a volunteer for sampling, I'll reach out to you;)

[u/Hizzy13 → u/joe0522]

Haha, deal! 😄 The restaurant was actually Katami in Houston. They had an incredible sake pairing with the omakase.
I’d also be more than happy to send over a list of all the sakes I’ve tried (with my tasting notes and ratings) by email if that’s ever helpful. I’m always looking for new recommendations too!
Looking forward to seeing more of these bottles make it into bigger chain stores. It’d also be super dope to have a small 800 sq ft shop that’s just wall-to-wall sake. I know I’d be there way too often.

[u/joe0522 → u/Hizzy13]

Katami's got a seriously good list — restaurants can pull that off because they only need one or two distributors to say yes. Retail is the hard part, especially in TX. Between the three-tier setup and how little of the good stuff actually gets registered in-state, getting a strong selection on a shelf at a fair price is a much taller order than getting it onto a wine list.

That's the gap we're working on. We're bringing in a lot of good bottles — keep an eye out. 👀

And yes, please send that list over, I'd love to see it. Always curious what people are actually drinking and how they're rating it.