Where to get Sake in/around Philly?

dannyboy · December 29, 2003

I'm in need of some decent Sake for some New Years Day dishes and drinking. Is there a state store in Philly that has a better selection than my small local state store, perhaps a state store mega mart? I'm also more than willing to travel to Jersey.

Thanks in advance.

KatieLoeb · December 29, 2003

I'm in need of some decent Sake for some New Years Day dishes and drinking. Is there a state store in Philly that has a better selection than my small local state store, perhaps a state store mega mart? I'm also more than willing to travel to Jersey.
Thanks in advance.

Moore Brothers in Pennsauken, NJ (five minutes over the Ben Franklin Bridge) has an excellent sake selection. You can check out their store online at Moore Brothers I don't think the sake selections are listed on the website, but you can call and ask for Jonathan Read. He's the resident sake expert and he'll be happy to both hook you up with something and teach you a thing or two about rice wine. Heck - tell him I sent you and that I miss him!

dannyboy · December 29, 2003

Moore Brothers in Pennsauken, NJ (five minutes over the Ben Franklin Bridge) has an excellent sake selection. You can check out their store online at Moore Brothers I don't think the sake selections are listed on the website, but you can call and ask for Jonathan Read. He's the resident sake expert and he'll be happy to both hook you up with something and teach you a thing or two about rice wine. Heck - tell him I sent you and that I miss him!

Great! Thanks Katie; you ROCK. I appreciate it.

KatieLoeb · December 29, 2003

Great! Thanks Katie; you ROCK...

Dannyboy:

My pleasure! Nice to know that if you keep me around me long enough I'm good for something :wink: :biggrin:

KatieLoeb · December 30, 2003

Dan:

Didja' make it to Moore Bros? I tried to call and let them know to expect you and from the sound of it, I think you were already there.

I hope you found the sake you were seeking.

Cheers and Happy New Years!

dannyboy · December 30, 2003

Yes! Thank you so much. What a nice layout they have there. Top Notch!!!

Due to major lack of funds (thanks to Xmas) I had to cheap out and go for the lower end stuff, but next time I'll try some of the more attactive Sakes.

The staff was very helpful and nice. I'll be back!!!

Cheers Katie. Happy New Year to you.

KatieLoeb · December 30, 2003

Due to major lack of funds (thanks to Xmas) I had to cheap out and go for the lower end stuff, but next time I'll try some of the more attactive Sakes.

I'm certain the lower end stuff at Moore Bros. is infinitely better than the Japanese equivalent of Mad Dog 20/20 that's available through the State Store system! :biggrin:

Glad you liked the place. The customer service is unparalleled anywhere in the area, or out of the area, for that matter. I'm a little spoiled bacause I worked there, but seriously, every single person I've ever recommended the store to has become a regular customer. The staff will spend just as much time with you whether you're purchasing a $15 bottle or a $50 bottle. Everyone there really loves their job and their passion about wine is positively infectious. Try one of the "sampler cases" if you want to take a little tour of what's available there. For $100 or $150 you get a mixed case of wine that comes complete with excellent tasting notes. A bargain and a fun way to do tastings at home.

Kanpai!

Yannii · December 30, 2003

hey guys, although i definetly dislike our state store system in general, we actually have a descent selection of sakes available to us in this state (of course, nj has even better options) Imported through, among others, SSI's "jizake" (translated roughly as "microbrewery") collection, our state store system recently placed a few of their medium priced choices into the "specialty" category which means they are available off the shelf in specialty stores, versus the other sakes, which are only available by SLO special order only. one of those "off the shelf" selections that i highly recomend is called "yumeakari". It is light and crisp with a touch of sweetness, comparable to a pinot grigio i suppose. they are currently sold out at the "super store" on 12th and chestnut, but would probaly have it in bryn mawr or some other "specialty state store"

i am super into sake and have tried several of the ones available in both PA and NJ, so please feel free to ask me any questions you have about them. i love to discuss it (obviously) thanks for the indulgence... :unsure:

Edited December 31, 2003 by Yannii (log)

john b · December 30, 2003

Glad you liked the place. The customer service is unparalleled anywhere in the area, or out of the area, for that matter. I'm a little spoiled bacause I worked there, but seriously, every single person I've ever recommended the store to has become a regular customer. The staff will spend just as much time with you whether you're purchasing a $15 bottle or a $50 bottle. Everyone there really loves their job and their passion about wine is positively infectious. Try one of the "sampler cases" if you want to take a little tour of what's available there. For $100 or $150 you get a mixed case of wine that comes complete with excellent tasting notes. A bargain and a fun way to do tastings at home.
Kanpai!

Hmm...this sounds eerily familiar to a conversation I had last night... :wink:

(it was nice to meet you in person, Katie)

KatieLoeb · December 30, 2003

Glad you liked the place. The customer service is unparalleled anywhere in the area, or out of the area, for that matter. I'm a little spoiled bacause I worked there, but seriously, every single person I've ever recommended the store to has become a regular customer. The staff will spend just as much time with you whether you're purchasing a $15 bottle or a $50 bottle. Everyone there really loves their job and their passion about wine is positively infectious. Try one of the "sampler cases" if you want to take a little tour of what's available there. For $100 or $150 you get a mixed case of wine that comes complete with excellent tasting notes. A bargain and a fun way to do tastings at home.
Kanpai!
Hmm...this sounds eerily familiar to a conversation I had last night...
(it was nice to meet you in person, Katie)

John:

It was nice to meet you too! And really a pleasure to expand my horizons a bit into the great draughts at the Grey Lodge Pub. Since I'm not much of a beer drinker, it's always nice to have Rich hook me up with something new for my drinking repertoire!

Sense of Deja vu regarding our conversation? :hmmm: I admit it - I am forever singing the praises of my former employers. But it's pretty easy to do that since I have no fear they won't be able to back me up! Being a regular customer yourself, you definitely know what I mean.

In Vino, Veritas,

Katie

Arey · December 31, 2003

When I was working and living in Philadelphia, the big seller at the nearest State Store was Tiger Rose wine with Thunderbird a close second. Of course, at that time, in my group, when we were feeling extravagant, we bought a gallon jug of Gallo red.

Nick · December 31, 2003

hey guys, although i definetly dislike our state store system in general, we actually have a descent selection of sakes available to us in this state (of course, nj has even better options) Imported through, among others, SSI's "jizake" (translated roughly as "microbrewery") collection, our state store system recently placed a few of their medium priced choices into the "specialty" category which means they are available off the shelf in specialty stores, versus the other sakes, which are only available by SLO special order only. one of those "off the shelf" selections that i highly recomend is called "yumekari". It is light and crisp with a touch of sweetness, comparable to a pinot grigio i suppose. they are currently sold out at the "super store" on 12th and chestnut, but would probaly have it in bryn mawr or some other "specialty state store"
i am super into sake and have tried several of the ones available in both PA and NJ, so please feel free to ask me any questions you have about them. i love to discuss it (obviously) thanks for the indulgence...

Yannii, tell us some more about sake. Here in Maine we only have Gekkeikan and even that isn't in most stores. But, it still gives a nice, clear buzz and tastes okay. If you can, maybe mention some sake's that with a little seaching one might find in the hinterlands and what they're like. The same could go for recommendations for plum wine. Thanks

Same goes for anyone else that might know this stuff.

dannyboy · December 31, 2003

Yannii:

Thanks for the tip(s)! Very helpful.

they are currently sold out at the "super store" on 12th and chestnut, but would probaly have it in bryn mawr or some other "specialty state store"

Do you think any state store other than the superstores would carry the good stuff (jizake)?

I did like the vibe at Moore bros., but the ultra convenience of hopping over to a state store would be a nice option to have.

Anyone know what the deal is at Caviar Assouline? I stumbled across this link earlier today. I didn't know retail establishments could sell Spirits in PA.

Yannii · December 31, 2003

well, nick sake is a really big subject (like beer or wine) but www.esake.com is a wonderfully informative website that would get anyone started down the path of understanding and appreciating sake.

Of the mass produced / widely available sakes around, i like the momkowa "diamond" sake ("ruby" is decent as well). and as far as plum wine goes, i like "choya" (which has actual choya or japanese plums in the bottle). And for making mixed drinks and such, i use "fu-ki plum" which is a very simple yet delicousily sweet, mass produced plum wine. Around here, we have a quality plum wine called "ginkobai" which is actually more of a plum sake.

just like beer or wine (sake is really more like beer than wine) sake comes in many different varities, i would be happy to sumarize a few of them for you, if you are interested, but maybe i should move to a beer or beverage forum though?

ps really good sake comes in bottles with screw caps. i recently bought a 375ml (half size) bottle of sake for around $50 ("yashinorino" an unusual sake that has been aged 10 years! simply awesome!) that came with a screw cap. it's just what they do in japan. they do have decorative bottles made without screwcaps, but the decorative bottles don't, in any way, indicate quality... :biggrin: thanks again!

Yannii · December 31, 2003

dannyboy, unfornutately you are correct, caviar asouline can't sell them to you directly, however they can sell them to restaurants and such. they represent SSI locally and that link represents most of what SSI (sake service institue) imports iinto the us. does that make sense? if you go to a ar with good sakes (morimoto, pod, anjou, etc...) you can try these sakes by the glass, and then if you like them, you can order them from any state store (SLO). the supplier ships the sake relativelly quickly (often less a week, sometimes more like two) to the store for you. i have seen and bought sake from the 12th street store, the bryn mawr store, and the one by manyunk...i'm sure others carry it, i just live around here so that's where i go (or to NJ when i have time) here is a link to our state store online catalog, http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/Retail/Products/lcb_Default.asp type in "sake" and you'll get a list of most of the ones available. the ones marked "specialty" are the ones i was talking about before...good luck, i love answering questions so please keep asking... :rolleyes:

dannyboy · December 31, 2003

ps really good sake comes in bottles with screw caps. i recently bought a 375ml (half size) bottle of sake for around $50 ("yashinorino" an unusual sake that has been aged 10 years! simply awesome!) that came with a screw cap. it's just what they do in japan. they do have decorative bottles made without screwcaps, but the decorative bottles don't, in any way, indicate quality...

Ha, go figure. I assumed screwcaps meant a good bottle of lighter fluid. I did notice all the high end items at Moore bros. had screwcaps.

dannyboy · December 31, 2003

dannyboy, unfornutately you are correct, caviar asouline can't sell them to you directly, however they can sell them to restaurants and such. they represent SSI locally and that link represents most of what SSI (sake service institue) imports iinto the us. does that make sense?

Yup

if you go to a ar with good sakes (morimoto, pod, anjou, etc...) you can try these sakes by the glass, and then if you like them, you can order them from any state store (SLO). the supplier ships the sake relativelly quickly (often less a week, sometimes more like two) to the store for you.

That's awesome. I guess at the time of ordering you would inquire as to the price. Kinda klugey, but hey, still pretty cool.

FWIW morimoto has his own special brew made for him by a brewer in Japan, so I thinks it may be tough acquiring that. Although it would be fun if they sold it with his mug on the front. I'd buy it...

Thanks again for the tips. This seems to be quite a passion for you Yannii.

Nick · December 31, 2003

Yannii, Thanks for the info. I went to the eSake site and just read and read. Fascinating! Especially the article on rice milling. Three to six days just to mill the right rice to the right degree. Then looking at the different premium sakes in the U.S. was interesting. I like the names and think I'd like to try some - Wandering Poet "Characterized by a well-rounded flavor with a solidness to the flavor and fragrance, and clean finish." I doubt I'll find any in Maine. I wonder if there's any in Boston? A five hour trip for me.

Another site I came across from esake is Sake-World which is run by the same person as eSake - John Gauntner. I liked his Sake Picks and his descriptions.

Maybe if enough people tried some sake, and there was enough interest, Jason could start a Sake forum under "Beverages and Libations" - and you could run it. :biggrin: Sake is in a world of its own. Even though it's called rice wine, it's neither wine nor beer. It's its own thing.

Thanks again.

Yannii · December 31, 2003

although mrs. loeb is infinitly more qualified to discuss it, i have heard that most california wineries would use screwcaps if not for public perception. aparently natural corks are just unreliable, and somewhere between 1 and 5 in every 100 corks used have some problem (rot or drying or whatever). plastic corks improve this number immensly but are more expensive or something. all i know, is that the screwcap sort of takes the drama out of presentation, but thankfully, sake comes with it's own set of serving rituals...

ps nick, there are a few sources where you can have sake delivered to you from other states (is that allowed in maine?) let me know if you need help locating those sources.

tektite · May 5, 2005

I have just transplanted from San Francisco to Delaware (right outside Philadelphia) and I can't find my favorite sake any longer. I thought that they were both fairly mainstream brands (Tousetsuka and Karatamba) but I have had no luck here. I was wondering if anyone knew any Asian markets that carried them in Delaware or a state shop in South Jersey or PA that had a good sake selection, or even an online store with them I would be very grateful.

I can only find Gekkaikan here :(

Thanks so much,

John

NulloModo · May 5, 2005

Not sure about Sake in particular, since I have never looked for it, but I can tip you off on some of the better liquor stores in the area.

I take it you are in the Wilmington/Claymont/Hockessin type area?

If you don't mind a short drive down into Elkton, MD (right across the border from Newark, DE) you will find State Line liquors. It is hands down the coolest liquor store in the area, awesome liquor, wine, and beer selections. I also seem to remember them having a fairly decent selection of sake.

In Bear, DE in the fox run shopping center there is a store called ABC Liquors or something along those lines, I seem to recall them also having a fairly nice Sake selection.

There are also several stores with names like 'Liquor and Wine Superstores' in the Pike Creek/Newark/Newcastle area, track one down if you like, I know they have huge grape wine selections, so maybe they carry a decent sake rack too.

BTW - you won't find Sake, well, at least not drinking Sake, in any Asian market in DE, grocery stores, convenience stores, etc are prohibited from selling alcohol (liquore wine or beer) you have to go to an actual liquor store to get any of it.

tektite · May 5, 2005

BTW - you won't find Sake, well, at least not drinking Sake, in any Asian market in DE, grocery stores, convenience stores, etc are prohibited from selling alcohol (liquore wine or beer) you have to go to an actual liquor store to get any of it.
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I am actually in Newark, so I know state line. They have an awesome wine selection there, and I go often. While they do have some sake, they did not have what I am looking for.

Thanks for the tips! I'll check out the other leads!

about the asian market: I know, it's such a bummer, because any japanese owned market will always stock the two brands that I am looking for. I might just have to have friends in california send me a care package, but thats just a short term solution. :)

bigbear · May 6, 2005

Katie should be along any minute..... to tell you about the PA statewide search.....

While you wait, click here.

tektite · May 6, 2005

Katie should be along any minute..... to tell you about the PA statewide search.....
While you wait, click here.
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Bigbear, I found one of the Sake I was looking for! Thanks for your help. It was a SLO product, does that mean I can have it ordered from any pa liquor store with the ID#?

bigbear · May 6, 2005

From the PLCB web site:

"SLO" or "Special Liquor Order" products can be ordered by one of our Wine & Spirits Specialists. To place an SLO order, e-mail ra-lbslo@state.pa.us or call 1-800-332-PLCB. Please include your daytime phone number in your e-mail, so that we may contact you to complete the order. (A deposit must be placed upon a credit card, and at this time we do not have a secure site to take these orders.)

A while back, I ordered something by visiting one of the stores. I didn't need the ID#. They looked it up for me.

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