THE JOY OF SAKE to Return to New York Next Week with Nearly 400 Premium Sakes

The world's largest sake festival outside Japan returns to New York on September 27 with 381 competition-level sakes for enthusiasts to sample.

Sake-inspired appetizers from 16 top restaurants will complement The Joy of Sake's premium daiginjo, ginjo and junmai labels.

Sakes from 158 breweries throughout Japan (and some from the U.S.) will be offered, including gold and silver award-winners from the 2017 U.S. National Sake Appraisal. Also available for self-serve tasting will be 190 ultra-premium daiginjo sakes, representing the pinnacle of the brewer's craft.

Sake aficionados will be particularly interested in the 217 labels not otherwise available in the U.S. Products of smaller breweries with limited distribution, these regional sakes are made to suit the tastes of their surrounding communities, from the light, spare styles of Japan's snow country to the bolder, richer profiles of warm southern prefectures.

In a nod to New York's eclectic sake-food scene, appetizers from the 16 restaurants will reflect the theme "From Kaiseki to Izakaya." Sample dishes include Sakamai's seasonal Dry-aged Duck Breast with puree of pickled garlic, Momofuku Ssam Bar's Gochu-glazed Pork Ribs with cucumber pickles, and Gaijin's luxuriant Uni Ikura rice bowl.

Gaijin, Momofuku Ssam Bar and Ivan Ramen will be making their first Joy of Sake appearances. Here is the complete lineup of restaurants:

15 East

Aburiya Kinnosuke

Bond Street

OKA

En Japanese Brasserie

Gaijin

Hibino

INSA

Ivan Ramen

Momofuku

Sakagura

SakaMai

Sen Sakana

SushiSamba

Yopparai

Zuma

The 12th Joy of Sake New York is slated for Wednesday, September 27 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St. in Chelsea. Tickets are $110 online at www.joyofsake.com.

The New York event follows on the heels of the largest-ever Joy of Sake Honolulu, which drew over 1,600 guests to the Hawaii Convention Center to raise their glasses for the world's largest sake kampai (toast) on August 4. Following New York, the sake festival completes its world tour with The Joy of Sake Tokyo at Gotanda's TOC Hall on November 1.