UPDATE: We have partnered with Skurnik Wines to distribute Kikuhime in the states they cover, including NY, NJ and CA. It will be available starting Nov 1.
In the meantime, if you are interested in trying these sake, please speak to your favorite local retailers and restaurants and let them know you’d like them to order! The reps in NY, NJ and CA have been given the heads up about this sake, and have been told to expect expressions of interest. Reps in OH, IN and KY will be filled in in coming weeks.
We’re very excited to be expanding availability! Responses so far have been fantastic.
As always, feel free to PM or email with questions.
Hi Suzanne - Can’t wait for you to try these, perhaps in advance of your next trip to Philly. Since only a few stores will likely end up stocking them in the beginning in any quantity due to price point, the best way to make sure they are available to you is to mention your interest to your favorite stores (Flatiron, Chambers, Crush, Union Square or whatever) and say you’d like for them to get some in from Skurnik. The reps in NY, NJ and CA have been told to expect such attention in advance of the Nov 1 availability. Of course, Skurnik will be conducting their own sales efforts to good accounts, but unless a store already has a strong sake program, they might be a little hesitant without knowing there is interest.
Or you can special order from the PLCB when you’re planning to come to PA next and we’ll coordinate the timing with you so they are kept at optimal temp as long as possible. Prices should end up being comparable, as the PLCB cut is similar to the distributor’s.
Bumping this up to let people know Kikuhime is now available in CA and NY. K&L has even (finally) listed them on WineSearcher, which other places have not. In NY, I know they can be found at Ambassador and Union Square.
Restaurant interest has been great, despite the pandemic, with places such as Rule of Thirds and Brooklyn Fare adding Kikuhime to their lists.
I’m excited for you to try them, too! Which did you get?
I’d treat these like any fine wine - give them some time sitting after shipping or travel. Across town to a restaurant, no problem, but if they are shaken up, they like to settle. They will also develop with air.
Respectfully, mark up from what? Do you know the wholesale price, or the distributor price? If not, how do you know what the mark-ups are? Or are you just recalling the PLCB price? Yes, that was lower - artificially low because there were only two tiers in PA, not three. Sounds like you got anchored to that as the “right” price, which I can understand, since it’s what you saw first, but isn’t in fact a good benchmark.
It is the reality of the three tier system in the US that everyone takes a cut. The mark-ups are actually pretty standard. The Kukurihime is a little higher than the others, but not much. FWIW, to my knowledge, this is in fact the lowest price it’s ever been offered for in the US that could ship nationally. Even grey market bottles have cost more. These bottles are importer direct, and temperature protected at every point in the chain. There’s simply no way to get this product out there at a discount rate. The pricing is something we have worked very hard to get right.
The Library Releases are interesting and delicious for a good deal less and offer a great deal of that careful selection and unprecedented age, if you are interested in those characteristics. And technically speaking, they are even rarer.
Thanks for the advice! I got the Yamahai Ginjo Genshu, the 2004 “Library Release” Yamahai Ginjo Genshu and the “B.Y.” Daiginjo. They are all resting comfortably. Do any of them want more aging, or are they all good to go?
Excellent choices! They are all good to go, no further aging required. It is very interesting to compare the straight Yamahai Ginjo Genshu with the library release of same. The BY is one of the best daiginjo I’ve had. Definitely serve them chilled, but allow them to warm in the glass and see at what temp you like them best. They are all fantastic with food and all benefit from air and easily go several days open and refrigerated overnight.