Sometimes, I drink alone in the dust. No, not alone this time. We held a sake drinking party. So we offered a lineup of “Ganki”, “Hiroki”, and “Masumi”.

1. Hiroki Junmai Ginjyo
2. What is Nama-zume?
3. Hiroki Junmai Ginjyo Evaluation
4. Japanese Food Party

Hiroki Junmai Ginjyo

Hiroki was another chance encounter,

and unlike the last time, it was Junmai Ginjo!
Last time it was packed fresh.

What is Nama-zume?

To put it simply, by putting fire into the bottle, the fermentation process using koji is controlled and preserved.

Most of the sake generally distributed in Japan undergoes a heat treatment called hi-ire twice before shipping. The hi-ire process is performed twice: once before pressing the unrefined sake and storing it, and once before bottling it for shipment. Nama-zake is sake that has undergone only the first hi-ire and not the second; if only the second hi-ire is performed, it is called “nama-zouzake,” and if no hi-ire is performed at all, it is called “nama-zake.

saketimes

The saccharified state is called “nama-shu”. It is then filtered and bottled, but of course fermentation is still taking place inside. The process is to sterilize the bacteria by adding fire (heat) and to suppress the sweetness of the sake. Therefore, sake labeled as “undiluted” must be drunk as soon as possible or the taste will change. This means that the taste will change if the sake is not drunk as soon as possible. The recommended drinking period for sake in its original state is the day it is opened or within two days.

As usual, the family crest of Hiro is a deformed version of a farming operation.

Opening of the bottle

Gulp it down!

Hiroki Junmai Ginjyo Evaluation

It is very sharp and dry. It has a little bit of the feel of sake from the olden days. I think it is a good match with food. It seems to go better with grilled chicken, ponzu, shellfish, and other peculiar foods than with sashimi. It may be suitable as an aperitif due to its somewhat strong aroma.

When we asked some of our members who rarely drink sake to join us, we found that it was not popular among beginners due to its strong aroma. It is true that sake is hard to find, but it does not seem to be suitable for beginners. The most popular sake was Masumi, which has a low alcohol content and a light flavor. It seems that likes and dislikes are not based on name recognition.

Japanese Food Party

It was a good day.

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1. Thank you for your question. When it comes to sake that pairs well with sushi, I find it interesting how…

2. You mention that “It doesn’t pair particularly well with sushi”, but later describe the two sweetnesses as complementing each other…