Hiya-Oroshi PART 2!

"Back again with that smooth mellow taste that's always good to the last drop.
Yes folks, we're talking about Hiya-Oroshi, the smooth fall brew."
Thats what you would be hearing on the radio, 40 years ago any way....

But seriously I'm back again this week to introduce another great fall brew to keep you going until new years when the Shibori-tatte (fresh pressed) sakes come in.
Time is flying by; only about a month to a month and a half left until the start of the brewing season!
It's like waiting for the super bowl, except everyone still has their shirts on.

Now, without further ado I present to you, a first for this blog and one of my new favorites:

Ishidzuchi / 石鎚

Tokubetsu Junmai Hiya-Oroshi / 特別純米 冷や卸し

Alcohol: 16~17% / Polish: 55~60%

SMV: +6

Ishidzuchi Shuzo / Ehime Prefecture

Tasting notes:

On the nose: Very light, lots of rice, with a little bit of an almost fruity sweetness. Very mild and pleasant.

On the palate: very smooth and round. Medium to full bodied, lots of rice with an underlying fruity sweetness to balance out it's dryness. Very well balanced with a good finish.

Other notes:

• This sake comes in two sizes, 720ml and 1.8L.
• This is a Hiya-Oroshi sake, Ishidzuchi also puts out a whole line of great sakes including other seasonal brews. We also have five other types in the store (Only in 1.8L size).
• This brew is a good match to a wide varieties of food, it's fuller body gives it a good edge for heavier flavored foods including a wide variety of meat dishes. meat dishes.
• I enjoyed this one with a really good hand made tofu and edamame.

Well that's it for this round, I'll keep posting them as I drink 'em.

Meishu no Yutaka staff

Carlin

A Junmai to be proud of!

I would like to introduce to you all one of my favorite Junmai Sake. This one is not for sake wimps; this is a Junmai on steroids!

I present to you:

Daishinshuu / 大信州

Karakuchi Tokubetsu Junmai Nama / 辛口特別純米生

Alcohol: 16% / Polish: 70%

SMV: +5

Daishinshuu Shuzo / Nagano Prefecture

Tasting notes:

On the nose: Very fresh with lots of good yeast / Koji smells. Loads of rice and strong fruity hints. Huge nose for a Junmai!

On the palate: Very full bodied and smooth. Clean crisp and fresh; Dry but with a lot of full flavored sweetness from the rice, and a refreshing fruitiness. Ends with a finish that will knock your socks off.

Other notes:

• Meishu no Yutaka has the largest selection of Daishinshuu Sake in Japan, with over 30 different kinds under two labels, there is a Daishinshuu sake for everyone. Look forward to more goodies from Daishinshuu in future posts.
• This sake is a Nama sake, or unpasteurized sake, so it must be kept in the fridge.
• Karakuchi Tokubetsu Junmai Nama comes in one size 1.8L, but don't worry because even a bottle this size will disappear before you know it, when it's this tasty.
• This is a seasonal sake so it probably won't be around for ever. It just came in about a month ago so there is still stock, but if you want to try this one you should grab a bottle sooner than later.
• What is Tokubetsu (special) about this Junmai, with a polish rate of 70% you might be thinking "why is this a Tokubetsu Junmai and not a regular Junmai?", is the polish rate of the Rice used for growing the Koji mold. This sake is actually made with Daiginjo class Koji rice, milled to 50%. This is also mostly responsible for this sake's great nose. This for me is like going to heaven before you die, It truly is the best of both worlds!

That's it for this time,

Cheers,

Meishu no Yutaka staff

Carlin

English blog Launched!

Welcome all to the newly launched English weblog for Meishu no Yutaka. My name is Carlin, and I am creating this blog in the hopes that I can share a little bit of the knowledge I accumulate in my sake studies with other sake enthusiasts.

I find myself a long way from my former home of California, as I start my new life in Japan as an employee and future part owner of the biggest specialty sake store in Hokkaido. I have been working in Meishu no Yutaka off and on for the last 2 years and became a full time employee in Dec of 2008. I am in no way a sake expert, however having the privilege of being in a position so close to the heart of the sake world, I thought that it would be fun to share some of my experiences with those who may not have the chance to see the sake world first hand.

Well that's enough of the formal stuff for me. Lets move on to the fun stuff.
As a staff member of a sake shop it is part of my Job to taste all new sake that comes into the store (all work and no play make Carlin a dull boy). Together with the sake that I drink out-side of the shop, I get to taste a fair amount of sake. My intention with this blog is to post Tasting notes on as much of the sake as I can (although unfortunately there are some brands of sake that I am not allowed to post to the Internet), Any and all trips that I make to sake breweries, and as much insider info as possible about the inner workings of the sake world.

That being said, what better way to kick off a new sake blog than to post tasting notes on one of my favorite sakes, from one of the most sought after Breweries in Japan: DENSHU!

Denshu 田酒
Tokubetsu Junmai Shiboritate Nama Genshu
特別純米搾りたて生原酒
Polish rate: 55% / Alcohol: 18%
SMV: ＋２
Brewery: Nishida Shuzou / Aomori Prefecture

Tasting notes:
On the nose: Sweet, fresh, clean, with a lot of Koji and rice fragrances. Not a lot of the yeasty unpasteurized characteristics that you get from a normal nama-zake.

On the palate: Dry with good acid balance, strong bite on the finish coming from the high alcohol content. Full bodied with a lot of sweetness from the rice carried through on a nice bed of spiciness you get from a good Genshu.

Other notes:
Denshu tokubetsu Junmai Shiboritatte Nama Genshu comes in one size: 180ml.
Because it is a Genshu it has a relatively high alcohol content, so be careful not to drink too much.
Nishida Shuzou is a small brewery so their production is quite limited.
This sake is very hard to find in Japan, let alone the rest of the world, so if you find it else-where, I take my hat off to you my friends.
If you can find it, I highly recommend drinking this little beauty, or any other sake under the Denshu label.


This is a new endevour for me so please feel free to give me feedback and suggestions on the Blog. I want to make this as fun and informitive as possible! Also please excuse my long windedness this time around, I promise the posts to come will be a little shorter.

Cheers,

Meishu no Yutaka staff
Carlin