Review: Boken Sake – Ringo and Nigori

Boken Sake is a new brand of sake, brewed in Japan and designed to be both “innovative and food-friendly.” The brand included four expressions at launch; we received two for review, a Junmai Gingo bottling and a nigori style expression. The sakes are brewed at two different breweries (at least for now).

“We launched Boken to broaden the appeal of sake beyond traditional Japanese cuisine,” says Daisuke Nakajima, founder and CEO of Cedar Sake LLC, a NY-based importer of Boken Sake. “We take pride in partnering with family-owned, small-batch brewers, and we’re thrilled to demonstrate that sake is not only flavorful but can also complement a wide variety of dishes from around the globe.”

Boken’s mission is to preserve the rich Japanese tradition of sake and introduce it to a new audience, one that may enjoy pairing sake with non-Japanese foods. The next generation brewmasters, 27th from Hiraizumi Honpo in Akita Prefecture and the 6th generation from Takagi Brewery in Kochi Prefecture, are committed to innovation while honoring the honed craftsmanship of the brewers before them.

Let’s dig in. Both are bottled in 720ml decanters.

Boken Sake “Ringo” Junmai Ginjo – Made at Takagi Brewery. Clean and refreshing, this is full of fresh honeydew character but also a hefty sweetness, to the point where it feels a bit over the top with its undulations of sesame candies followed by candied apples. It’s an engaging and fresh sake, but the sweetness clings to the finish in a way that endures for ages. It’s approachable when you have a meal to balance things out, but solo the sake can become a bit cloying. B+ / $58

Boken Sake Junmai Ginjo Nigori – Made at Hiraizumi Honpo Brewery. This semi-filtered sake is lightly cloudy but quite sweet, its cantaloupe underbelly spritzed with saline and sesame, but a slightly gritty, grainy quality that holds some of its charms in check. The finish is sweet and almost candylike, evoking rather blunt notes of spun sugar and an odd Chick-o-stick quality that I had trouble shaking. B / $55

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