The Tasting Panel magazine

July 2016

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july 2016  /  the tasting panel  /  53 form for the past thousand years and in its premium ginjo or daiginjo forms for only 40 years. Japanese Shochu is a single-distilled spirit made from sweet potato, barley, rice or brown sugar but always fer- mented using koji. Shochu consumption in Japan surpassed that of saké in 2003, but it's still a highly niche product in America, and one of the best spirts you'll probably ever taste if you haven't already. Saké rice is softer and 22–25% bigger than table rice, with a dense, high-starch core (the shinpaku). Yamadanikishi, Gohyakumangoku, and Miyamanishiki are the three most common strains, with Yamadanishiki the most highly prized. Each rice grain's outside layers of protein and fat are milled away by polishing machines to isolate the starchy core. Japanese seimaibuae labeling convention indicates the amount of the rice grain left after milling: 60% or less for ginjo sakés; 50% or less for daiginjo sakés. Higher polish levels (lower seimaibuai percentages) yield a clean, light saké with floral, fruity notes. Less milling releases umami aromas, due to amino acids that form when koji breaks down rice protein. These umami flavors are sturdier than the esters in highly milled sakés, so are better choices to serve warm, and can also be aged successfully. Because the Japanese value delicacy and finesse in their sakés, however, highly milled daiginjo sakés are considered the best. Other formal designations for saké describe sweetness level, acidity (higher acidity gives a drier impression) and whether the saké has been fortified to stop fermentation. Junmai means a pure saké with no added alcohol, and aruten indicates fortification, which (counterintuitively) tends to produce a drier, lighter sensation. Saké is 80% water, so water influence is critical. Hard water makes a more masculine-style saké, while softer water produces a more delicate, feminine style. A liter of saké needs 20–50 liters of water; therefore, an abundance of snowfall in the wintertime is required to feed into the earth's spring waters. The winter's snows also create ideally-cold fermenting conditions, thus most saké brewing takes place in the winter. Today, all 47 of Japan's prefectures have saké breweries, and some operate year round. With the rising popularity of Japanese flavors in America, the volume of saké imported has more than doubled since 2003. Yet of Japan's 1,400 saké breweries, only around 300 export to the U.S. We had the honor of tasting the following eight sakés and two shochus: Nanbu Bijin Daiginjo (Nanbu Bijin Saké Brewing Co.) from the northern Iwate Prefecture is a craft micro-brew saké, showing tropical fruit and a clean, dry finish. Kikusui Junmai Ginjo (Kikusui Saké Co.) from snowy Niigata Prefecture is the most popular junmai ginjo in the U.S.—dry, light and subtly orange-scented. Kubota Manju (Asahi Shuzo Saké Brewing Co.), also of Niigata, is made from prized local rice strain Gohyakumangoku, milled to 35%, with smooth, silky, delicate aromas of pear. Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo, introduced by Suguru Nakajima, International Sales Manager of Hakkaisan Brewery, takes its name from neighboring Mount Hakkai and benefits from Niigata's heavy snows and extremely soft water. It shows green apple notes, mandarin orange and a crisp finish. Born Muroka Nama Genshu, presented by charismatic President Atsuhide Katou of the historic Katou Kichibee Shouten of Fukui Prefecture, is ripe and round with tropical fruit and a long, sweet finish—an easy transition from California Chardonnay. As Kato described it: "Sweet and strong!" ShoChikuBai Junmai Daiginjo is made in Berkeley, California, by Takara Saké USA, using Sierra Nevada water and the only Yamadanishiki rice grown in America. Former head brewer Yoshihiro Naka and Sam Geniella presented this saké, which recently won TEXSOM's Gold Award. Orange blossom, ripe apple, banana and melon with a long, fragrant finish. PHOTO COURTESY OF MUTUAL TRADING CO., INC. The Saké and Shochu Master Class panel of esteemed saké and shochu brewers (left to right): Tetsuro Miyazaki (Sanwa Shurui), Asumi Saito (Asahi Shuzo), Takeyoshi Honda (Honda Shoten), Yoshihiro Naka & Sam Ganiella (Takara Saké USA), Atsuhide Katou (Katoukichibee Shouten) and Suguru Nakajima (Hakkaisan Brewery).

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