Respect Beer

[Gregory Alan Bolcer]

ON the related subject....


Famed Cabo Wabo distiller produces high end Daiginjo
Sake serve ultra-premium sake at Roy's restaurant.  Roy's
in Honolulu is half way between diamond head and the
bay, about 6 miles past where H1 ends.   Roy Yamaguchi
is quite a celebrity in Oahu and elsewhere.  We have
a Roy's in Newport Beach, but sitting on the patio
overlooking the beach at the very first Roy's is
much more fun.   

They give you a sampler of 4 named
Wind, Sky, Snow, Rain.  Two years ago when
I was up visiting Intel, I had actually driven by
the plant in Forest Grove, Oregon, but now
wish I had visited.  I had actually met
Sammy Hagar at a pre-opening party in 
Cabo San Lucas' Cabo Wabo--the subject
we spoke about?  Premium tequilas, Black Death
Vodka and my sabbatical in Tequila Mexico and learning
experience in the blue maguey agave fields.  
I hold the fantasy that Cabo Wabo tequila was
born from that conversation, but the reality is
that he had been planning it for years. 

If you order an Ahi poke stack and a sampler,
they compliment each other.  Roy's has a $71
5 course meal that also uses like sakes to
bring out the carefully selected flavors.

Wind: This is by far my favorite.  All their
sakes are served cold, this has a strong taste
with a very dry, but smooth finish.  By far
this is my favorite and you can get a wine
glass full. 

Sky: This has less of a bold taste, but is
still fairly dry, a more wet finish. 

Rain: This sake is ginger infused.  My wife
who absolutely loves ginger, was overpowered by
this sake.  I don't care much for ginger, but take
a piece of soy soaked, rare ahi and then a sip
of this is a pleasurable experience. 

Snow: This is a sweet, unfiltered sake.  We joked
that it was like a Sake ChiChi.   It has what I can
only call a full-bodied sake mixed with sweet, unfiltered
coconut juice.   

Greg

http://www.sakeone.com/press/releases/2001-y-sake.html
http://www.sakeone.com/


February 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

SAKÉONE CORPORATION AND CELEBRITY CHEF ROY YAMAGUCHI 
GIVE AMERICA ITS FIRST DAIGINJO SAKÉ

The new ultra-premium saké-Y Saké by Roy Yamaguchi-
is the first Junmai Daiginjo ever crafted in the United States.

FOREST GROVE, OR-February 2001-SakéOne (the world's only American-owned saké producer) and celebrity
chef Roy Yamaguchi have joined forces in creating Y Saké by Roy Yamaguchi, the first Junmai Daiginjo saké ever
made in United States. The new ultra-premium saké will be served internationally at Roy's Restaurants and
distributed by SakéOne to select retailers in 48 states. SakéOne estimates Y Saké will generate first-year
sales of $2.5
to $3 million.

"This is a milestone for the American saké industry," says SakéOne founder and CEO Grif Frost. "A saké of this
caliber has never been made in the United States before, and no major restaurant chain has ever embraced saké
to
such a large extent." Frost credits Roy Yamaguchi with nurturing a growing market of American diners who
demand
fresh, healthy and exciting cuisine-the ideal market for a top-tier Daiginjo saké.

Roy Yamaguchi is known as the "father" of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, a fusion of European and Asian cooking
styles
that uses island-fresh produce, fish and meats. Yamaguchi is a recipient of the prestigious James Beard Award
and is
the host of Public Television's Hawaii Cooks. "I selected SakéOne after reviewing hundreds of sakés from Japan
and the United States," explains Yamaguchi. "Y Saké is the product of our combined talents, and I believe it's
the
perfect accompaniment to contemporary cuisine."

Y Saké is handcrafted from select Yamada-Nishiki rice, which has been polished to 48 percent of its original
size.
Combined with SakéOne's proprietary Daiginjo koji enzyme, the rice produces an ultra-premium saké that is
lighter,
fruitier and more fragrant than other varieties of saké. The price of Y Saké is also exceptional. "In Japan, a
good
bottle of Daiginjo sells for about $100," explains Frost. "In our state-of-the-art saké making facility, we're
crafting top-tier Daiginjo sakés that sell for $30 to $60 a bottle."

Yamaguchi and Frost were brought together by entertainment entrepreneur Shep Gordon. Gordon, a longtime friend
of Yamaguchi, saw the potential of pairing Yamaguchi's celebrity status and culinary talent with Frost's
award-winning saké making skills. Gordon is owner of Alive Spirits, which in 1997 developed Sammy Hagar's Cabo
Wabo Tequila, a top-tier spirit that sold 30,000 cases in its debut year. Gordon is a founding member of the
Hawaii
Regional Cuisine Chefs, and a longstanding member of the James Beard Foundation.

Y Saké is available in four varieties:

     Wind (a very dry, full-bodied Daiginjo), 
     Sky (a semi-dry, medium-bodied Daiginjo), 
     Snow (a rough-filtered, softly sweet, full-bodied Daiginjo Nigori Genshu) 
     Rain (a light, ginger-infused, semi-dry Daiginjo). 

As with all SakéOne products, Y Saké is prepared with all natural ingredients, contains no sulfites or
preservatives,
and is best served chilled in a wineglass.

Founded in 1992, SakéOne produces premium chilled sakés under the Momokawa, Moonstone and Y Saké brands for
distribution throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. Headquartered in Forest Grove, Oregon, SakéOne is
the
word's only American-owned saké producer. The company leads the industry in consumer education with
informative bottle labels and freshness dating. SakéOne is considered the engine behind America's saké boom, a
$180
million market growing at an estimated 18 percent annually. www.sakeone.com

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