Tsuki Sake: Utah-made,Japan-inspired
Working in Asian cuisine and drink felt like a natural fit for half-Japanese Salt Lake City native Jillian Watanabe. When working at Montage Deer Valley’s Yama Sushi, she took a sommelier course and quickly fell in love with the world of wine. Even before that, she took a sake adviser course through the Sake School of America. “Through these learning experiences, I kept having these ‘aha moments’ when it came to food and drink pairings and how to elevate already delicious dishes with intentional wine pairings,” says Watanabe.
The Sake Evolution
In 2020, Watanabe had plans to begin home brewing and embark on a sake internship in Japan. But the events of 2020 threw her plans for a loop, leading her to focus on furthering her career at home in Utah. Enter: Tsuki Sake.
Tsuki Sake was founded that same year in partnership with Yuki Yama Sushi Executive Chef Kirk Terashima and Ty Eldridge, a major fixture in the Salt Lake City brewing community. Each partner, with deep ties to Utah’s culinary community, had the same interest in sake and the same goal of bringing Japanese-style wine to the Beehive State. The name Tsuki, which translates to “moon,” was selected by Watanabe’s wife. Symbolic of masculine-feminine balance, the moon was a natural representation for the brand — the balance between sweetness and dryness in sake and of bringing a traditional Japanese drink into modern American settings.
The Sake Lowdown
Tsuki Sake represents a truly unique offering in the Utah drink landscape. Made of American-grown ingredients, Tsuki is the first ultra-premium domestic sake brand in the state. “One of our main goals as a company is to normalize sake being on American menus, right at home next to beer and wine and cocktail lists,” says Watanabe. “Sake is simply amazing. It’s easy on the body, drinkable, and doesn’t fight with food.”
There are currently three varieties of Tsuki Sake: Super Moon (Junmai Daiginjo); Harvest Moon (a white peach nigori); and Desert Moon (citrus prickly pear). They can be found in liquor stores, restaurants and bars across Utah, including Yuki Yama Sushi and KITA locally.
Sake 101
- Sake is brewed like beer but is usually categorized as a wine because of its similar alcohol content. Tsuki sake’s current products contain 15% to 16% alcohol by volume (abv) and are meant to be sipped on like wine.
- Most are gluten- and sulfite-free.
- A fun characteristic of sake is that it can be served at different temperatures. Typically, premium-style sakes are brewed with aromatic yeast, creating fruity, floral or even cooked-rice aromas, depending on the sake. They are also known for balancing sweetness and savoriness on the palate and have silky and delightful textures. Some, but not all, lower-grade sakes are served hot. Sakes of this ilk are warmed to enhance their positive attributes and minimize their negative ones. However, warming any type of sake is a fun way to explore the differences in aroma, viscosity and notes on the palate.
- Amino acids in sake contribute to savory or umami notes on the palate.
- Premium-style sakes are brewed with rice that has had the outer layers polished off. This gets us closer to the starchy center, ridding the fermentation of any funkiness found in inexpensive sake. The process of rice polishing creates a more refined end product. (All of Tsuki sake’s products are ultra-premium and premium sakes meant to be served cold.)
- Daiginjo means 50% rice grain remaining.
- Ginjo means 60% rice grain remaining.
- Kanpai means “empty the glass” in japanese and is the equivalent to saying “cheers!”
