Classic Sake – Revisiting and Respecting Hakkaisan Honjozo with Tim Sullivan
I always joke that big breweries were once small breweries that were too good to be small. In a sense, they were victims of their own success. Then small breweries would sell against those big breweries claiming they can’t make small brewery quality sake. In a similar instance, certain classic sakes also become victims of their own success in today’s social media rush to the latest greatest thing. So, for the past few issues I’ve been trying to celebrate these “classic” or “OG” brews that have been lost in the shuffle, or get bypassed by the new fad brews and all the new sake drinkers out there. It’s my job to remind these fresh consumers that some of the “classic” brews are classic for a reason, and they should be visited or revisited, and definitely respected.
For me the Hakkaisan Honjozo is a “classic” sake that actually called to me and helped me introduce the honjozo category over 20 years ago. Specifically, it was called to me from an izakaya that I went to on my first trip to Japan. In broken English, an izakaya owner told me that this sake was made for people eating food and drinking sake. I think he meant it was a comfort food pairing masterpiece, and I quickly added to my initial inventory when I opened True Sake. And for the last two decades, I have used Hakkaisan Honjozo as a tool to share with customers who want to know what sake drinkers in Japan drank using the fact that this sake was awarded the status as the “Top Voted Izakaya Sake in Japan.”
To help us remember and appreciate this truly legendary and phenomenal brew I have asked an equally legendary and famous Sake Samurai and sake superstar Tim Sullivan to shine his vast sake spotlight on this Honjozo for us. Tim epitomizes the essence of this new section of the newsletter, because he’s been at the forefront of sake appreciation, education, promotion, and fascination as long as I have, and he gets it! In fact, I am going to steal his line that he states below about being a, “Classic For a Reason.” Awesome!
Classic for a Reason: Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo
It seems like you can’t throw an ochoko these days without hitting a trendy sake: high acidity, spontaneous fermentation, super-charged fruity aromatics. This got me thinking of the quiet comfort of those classic sakes that may sometimes go overlooked. Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo is one of those all time classics. And if you haven't tasted it recently, put down that doburoku and let me reacquaint you with this outstanding honjozo-shu. I’ve been the Global Brand Ambassador for Hakkaisan Brewery since 2013, spent a full year there as a brewing intern in 2016, and between hosting Sake Revolution, America's first sake podcast, and teaching at the Sake Studies Center at Brooklyn Kura, I've introduced this sake to hundreds of students and enthusiasts. Understanding honjozo is one of the cornerstones to understanding sake, and I think Hakkaisan's Tokubetsu Honjozo is the gold standard.
During my brewery internship year at Hakkaisan, I was lucky enough to join company dinners that often included brewery management, visiting guests, and the then-Toji (Master Brewer), Mr. Shigemitsu Nagumo. Nagumo-toji had dedicated his entire career to Hakkaisan. He was old-school in the very best sense of the word, Yoda-like in his wisdom, exacting about production standards, and endlessly generous in sharing his knowledge of sake making. At these dinners, after a parade of super-premium Hakkaisan offerings, I noticed something every single time: Nagumo-toji would visibly perk up and get excited when the Tokubetsu Honjozo hit the table, always served warmed up to the perfect temperature. It was, he leaned over to tell me, what he looked forward to most. After a sip of his Tokubetsu Honjozo, he would smile and say, "Now I can relax!" I think about him every time I pour this sake. And whenever someone asks me if it's appropriate to heat sake, I think: if the Master Brewer himself loved his Honjozo warm, who could possibly argue?
So what exactly makes this sake Tokubetsu? Well, Tokubetsu means "special" in Japanese and in the case of Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo, the answer lies in the rice milling. Standard Honjozo grade sake only requires rice to be milled to 70% remaining. Hakkaisan mills their rice for this sake all the way down to 55%! That's well into Ginjo territory compared to your average Honjozo. This extra milling removes more of the outer layers of the grain, producing a cleaner, smoother, and more refined sake that genuinely punches well above its weight. The cost-to-quality ratio here is simply outstanding.
In the glass, this is a classic expression of Niigata's famous tanrei karakuchi style: think crisp, clean, and dry. Niigata Prefecture is legendary for this profile, and Hakkaisan is one of its greatest proponents. The nose is restrained and elegant. On the palate, the flavors are round, balanced, and beautifully integrated. The addition of distilled brewer's alcohol, the hallmark of the Honjozo style, adds a lively brightness and characteristic grip, while keeping the finish remarkably clean and satisfying. In my experience, this is one of the most balanced Honjozo sakes on the market today.
If there's one word I'd use to describe this sake, it's versatile. I call it my “Swiss Army Knife” sake! Serve it chilled and you get a crisper, cleaner profile, wonderful with yakitori or even a caesar salad. Bring it to room temperature and the textures open up beautifully. Warm it gently and you unlock something velvety and deeply comforting, with a hint of umami that makes it a natural companion to nabe-style hot pot or perfectly grilled pork chops. You really can’t go wrong. In my sake classes at the Sake Studies Center, this is one of my go-to teaching sakes, not just because students love it, but because it so perfectly illustrates the magic of warm sake in a way that converts even the most skeptical sippers in the room.
Now, let me say a word about the label. The Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo wears a Showa-era design that hasn't changed in decades. In today's world of sleek, Instagram-worthy sake labels, it might not stop you mid-scroll. But stop and take another look. Classics are classics for a reason. This is Hakkaisan's best-selling sake in the Japanese domestic market, not because of marketing or trends, but because of its rock-solid reliability, range of service temperatures, honest deliciousness, and exceptional value. The people who know sake best keep coming back to this one again and again. I think it’s time for a new generation to take a look!
I'll be pouring the Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo at SAKE DAY this year, so come find me and taste it for yourself! And in the meantime, explore everything Hakkaisan has to offer at Hakkaisan.com, dive deeper into your sake education at UrbanSake.com and the Sake Studies Center at Brooklyn Kura in Brooklyn, NY, and don't forget to subscribe to Sake Revolution, we're always talking about great sakes just like this one. Kanpai!
