If You Don't Know, Now You Know...アメリカの山田錦

The lament of many a sake homebrewer on this side of the Pacific is the lack of true sakamai, or sake rice.

Although many folks have done a fine job making do with other varieties, most notably Calrose, I relish the opportunity to work with a strain developed specifically for sake.

When we all read about Chris Isbell's success in growing the most sought after sake rice in Arkansas, we all swooned (at least I did) at the prospect (however far off) of being able to some day work with the good stuff.

Patience.

But did you know that you can already drink sake made with American Yamada Nishiki? I'm not sure, but I would be willing to bet that the anonymous company mentioned in the article is Takara Shuzo. Why?

Takara Shuzo (Shiko Chu Bai) has made and sold out its limited release of Junmai Diaginjo made with Yamada Nishiki. American Yamada Nishiki.

Three Questions:

Has anybody out there tried this sake?

Is anybody else working with Yamada Nishiki in the states?

When will premium sake rice be available for purchase by smaller breweries (not just giants like Takara)?