Boston Wine Expo 2001 -
The Sake & Sushi from Japan

Next we moved on to the Japanese sakes being tasted. These are shipped in via a refrigerated container from Japan - Sake Service was the first distributor to take this step. We began with the Outouka Namazake - the only real Namazake offered in the US, which is unpasteurized. This was smooth, light, with a full flavor. It goes for $9/300ml.

The Koikawa Dai Ginjyo is more than 50% polished. It is a Junmai, meaning no extra alcohol is added to it. It is very rich and flavorful. When asked what is done with the extra rice, Hiromi explained that often rice cookie shops set up right next to the breweries. They buy the polished-off rice to make cookies out of it. A top of the line sake, this was $70/300ml.

The Sake we Tried

Next, the Kira honjyozo is one where they do add alcohol near the end to give it texture. Some complain that the sake with added alcohol are not "real sake", but with over 90% of sake using this technique, it's hard to see how this could be true. This is dry, smooth, witha rich texture to it.

The last sake was a Seiryo Kihoshu, a dessert style sake. This was definitely on the sweet side. This uses 3 year aged sake instead of water when they do the processing. It is aged in a stainless steel tank.

We were instructed to keep sakes in the fridge to keep them fresh, and to try to drink them as quickly as possible. Sake is a perishable item, and it tastes far better when it is well cared for and is not aged for long.

Cain 5 Tasting

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