Thursday, August 23, 2012

How to find good local Japanese sake

   Kochi earns a good reputation for its sake nationwide while many other alcoholic beverages such as shochu (distilled spirit) and fruit wines are produced and sold in the market here. It is said that even the Japanese have difficulty picking out their favorite one out of a great variety of locally-brewed sake in Kochi.


  When you express in one word for the characteristics of Kochi’s sake, you might say it’s very dry. You will feel the initial bite on the tongue but it finishes nice in the throat. Nihonshudo is one index used to evaluate sugar content of sake and in general the bigger the number is, the drier the sake.
My favorite Keigetsu

   You will see Chinese characters such as 大吟醸 (daiginjo), 吟醸 (ginjo) or 本醸造 (honjozo) on the label of a sake bottle. One of the main differences among them is their seimaibuai, the percentage of rice milling. Sake made from at least 50% of rice polished away is daiginjo sake. Ginjo sake is made of rice polished away at least 40% and honjozo sake at least 30%. The price of daiginjo is the highest followed by ginjo and honjozo.

   Generally daiginjo and ginjo sake taste better if you drink them cold or at room temperature. Usually, sake is served warm at drinking parties. If you dislike warm sake, why don’t you try daiginjo or ginjo? They are worth drinking despite the high price.

Taken from vol.34 PDF

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