Gekkeikan Black & Gold Junmai Sake

Product Description

Gekkeikan Black & Gold Junmai Sake: A Blended Sipping Sake Brewed in California

Gekkeikan Black & Gold is a full-bodied junmai-shu, a pure rice sake with no added alcohol, and it’s unusual because it’s a blend. Gekkeikan’s brewmaster combines two of the brewery’s own sakes, Traditional and Haiku Premium, made from rice milled to 70% and 60%. Gekkeikan says it’s like blended whiskey: the brewmaster selects the best of each fermentation to bring out the finest from both. The result is rich, well balanced, and meant for sipping.

It’s brewed at Gekkeikan’s Folsom, California facility, the company’s first brewery outside Japan, using Calrose rice from the Sacramento Valley. The Gekkeikan story started almost 400 years ago in Fushimi, Kyoto, and this brewery brings that experience to California’s water and rice. The bottle is bottled at 15.6% ABV, and the brand lists it as gluten-free and sulfite-free.

What Makes It Different

• A blend of two sakes, Traditional and Haiku Premium, from rice polished to 70% and 60%
• Junmai: only rice, water, koji, and yeast, with no added alcohol
• Brewed in Folsom, California, with Calrose rice from the Sacramento Valley
• Sake Meter Value of ±0, a balanced, semi-dry profile
• Serves warm, room temperature, or chilled

Tasting Notes

From Gekkeikan’s own notes.

Appearance: Clear, with a faint opal tint.

Aroma: Honeydew, papaya, anise, and roasted nuts, with a floral, pear, and citrus lift.

Palate: Full-bodied, well balanced, and smooth, with honeydew melon and papaya.

Finish: Long and smooth, with toasted almond and a light warmth.

Food Pairings

Gekkeikan calls it a versatile food sake that complements duck, grilled chicken and pork, scallops, and steamed shellfish. It also pairs well with sushi and sashimi, tempura, teriyaki, and mild cheeses, and with steamed mussels.

Serving Suggestions

Gekkeikan recommends enjoying it slightly chilled or at room temperature, to appreciate the complexity. It’s also good gently warmed in a tokkuri on a cold night. It also works in a sake spritz with sparkling water and a twist of citrus, or in a sake sangria.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the ABV? 15.6%.

What does junmai mean? Pure rice sake with no added distilled alcohol.

What’s in the blend? Gekkeikan’s Traditional and Haiku Premium sakes.

Where is it made? Folsom, California, by Gekkeikan Sake (USA), Inc.

Is it sweet or dry? Semi-dry to balanced, with a Sake Meter Value of ±0.

How should I serve it? Slightly chilled, at room temperature, or gently warmed.

Is it gluten-free? The brand lists it as gluten-free and sulfite-free.

Is it a good gift? Yes. The black-and-gold bottle looks the part.

Explore More

Looking for more sake? Try the Gekkeikan Horin Sake, or the Gekkeikan Sake 750ml for an everyday bottle. Browse our Sake collection for more.

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