LA Dassai Experience: Sake Night at Uchi WeHo

Dassai is one of the best-known sake names in Japan, and on Sunday, October 11, the brewery is bringing its bottles to Uchi West Hollywood for a two-hour tasting. If you're scanning upcoming events in Los Angeles for something a little quieter than a festival, this one's small, built around good food, and very focused on one thing: sake.

The evening is hosted by Dassai Blue Sake Brewery itself, so this is the brewery presenting its own bottles. That matters with sake. Most of us order it by the carafe without knowing much about grade or rice polishing, and a brewery-led tasting is the easiest place to ask.

What's in the glass

Two lines get poured side by side. The first is Dassai's original range from Yamaguchi, Japan: Junmai Daiginjos, the top grade of sake, made from rice that's been milled down heavily before brewing. Dassai made its name on how far it polishes that rice, and the result drinks clean and fruity, closer to a crisp white wine than the hot house sake many people picture.

The second line is Dassai Blue, brewed at the company's newer brewery in New York's Hudson Valley. Tasting the Japanese and American bottles back to back is the real draw here. Same brand, a different brewery on a different continent, and you get to decide for yourself how much that shows up.

Food from Uchi

Uchi is the Texas-born Japanese restaurant from chef Tyson Cole, and its West Hollywood outpost sits on Santa Monica Boulevard. The kitchen is putting together pairings for the night, so expect small plates built to sit alongside the pours rather than a full dinner. Uchi's menu leans on raw fish and bright, acidic flavors, which is exactly the kind of food premium sake was made for.

Practical info

• When: Sunday, October 11. Doors open at 5 PM and the tasting runs 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
• Where: Uchi West Hollywood, 9001 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 101, West Hollywood.
• Tickets: $100 on Eventbrite. Refunds are available up to 7 days before the event.
• Ages: 21 and over only. Bring ID.

Parking on that stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard is tight on a Sunday evening, and you'll be drinking, so a rideshare is the sensible call. Metro's Line 4 bus runs along Santa Monica Boulevard if you'd rather take transit.

It's a Sunday event, so it works as a slow end to the weekend rather than a big night out. For more things to do in Los Angeles built around food and drink, browse our food and drink events or see what else is on around Los Angeles. Seats at a brewery-hosted tasting like this tend to be limited, so book early if the Dassai Blue comparison sounds like your kind of evening.