You might wonder whether sake can be aged like wine and to what extent it benefits from ageing. Sake is traditionally brewed to be consumed young. So it wouldn't be wise to store a bottle of your favourite sake in your cellar for several years to mature.    There is, however, an increasing trend toward aged sake these days. Even traditional sake, designed to be consumed young, often undergoes a few months of storage before shipping. This allows brewers to seal in flavours and balance out erratic notes.    Due to the increasing popularity of aged sake, we wanted to ex ..read more

  Boston Sour with “Hakutake Shiro” Rice shochu   This is a “Boston Sour” cocktail arranged with “Hakutake Shiro” rice shochu. It has a fluffy mouthfeel from an egg white, dryness from rice shochu, and a good balance between sourness and sweetness: Recommend alongside dried fruit or cheese.  ・”Hakutake Shiro” rice shochu 60 ml  ・Lemon juice 20 ml  ・Syrup 15 ml  ・An egg white approx. 30 ml (from 1 egg)  ・Garnish with dried fruit    Put all ingredients into a shaker and shake well. Add ice and give it another shake. Pour into a glass.  ..read more

Sake is quickly gaining popularity across the world and particularly in the UK. However, it seems that most of the drinkers out there are still a bit confused about what sake really is. So to help you out, we thought we'd debunk together 5 of the greatest myths about sake. Let's do it!   MYTH #01: Sake is highly alcoholic / is a spirit. Probably the biggest misconception out there, it is often thought that sake is a spirit and high in alcohol. It probably comes from the fact that for us westerners, when we see a colourless liquid in a small cup, we assume it is a shot and thus a spirit ..read more

What is Yeast?   Yeasts are single-cell organisms, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which need food, warmth, and moisture to thrive. It converts its food — sugar and starch — into carbon dioxide and alcohol through fermentation.   Over time, people have chosen the yeast that best fits their objective, whether for brewing beer, wine, or baking bread. The yeasts used for brewing sake were likely selected for their unique characteristics over many years. Sake yeast allows for fermenting at low temperatures, creating alcohol in high concentration levels of up to 20% and generating p ..read more

    If you ask a Japanese resident what Niigata means to them, they'll most likely answer "snow, rice and sake."      Snow   Did you know Niigata was the birthplace of skiing in Japan? First introduced to Japan in 1911 by an Austrian major named Theodore Edler von Lerch, the sport had its roots in the Joetsu region. Since then, skiing has blossomed throughout the country. There are now more than 500 ski resorts in Japan, 16 of which are located just a short drive away from the beautiful town of Echigo-Yuzawa.      Just a 75 minutes bullet train rid ..read more

What Is Koji?   The Japanese food culture owes a lot to a microscopic organism called Aspergillus oryzae, also known as koji-kin. The action of this magical mould, which grows on a variety of grains, is crucial to the production processes that result in soy sauce, rice vinegar, and miso. Traditionally these are Japanese seasonings that are used in much of their cooking. As an essential ingredient of sake, koji-kin is also used as part of rice and water, a use which dates back to the Nara period (710-94).    As of 2006, the Brewing Society of Japan officially named koji-kin the ..read more

Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture.   When it comes to producing superior sake, the prefecture of Hyogo is the leader in the industry. Not only is Hyogo excelling in the volume of sake produced, but it is also one of the areas with the most advanced techniques and practises. For some of the country’s best sake and most beautiful scenery, this is the place to see.   
Hyogo’s sake production dates back to the early 17th century, where the Japanese population was simply fascinated with the beverage. The production of the drink was limited to only about 12 villages, with the Hyogo region ..read more

  A Quick Introduction To Water.   Sake is composed of only four natural ingredients: rice, water, yeast, and koji. These ingredients each contribute to the taste of our favourite beverage. But there is one ingredient that stands out above them all: water. In its final stage, sake is approximately 80% water. As a result, the quality of water will have a significant effect on the quality of sake. Water consumption during all steps of the brewing process amounts to more than fifty times the total weight of rice. As well as adding water at the very end for taste adjustment and reducing ..read more

  One of my fondest memories from my summers in Japan involve my grandmother making her own umeshu - a plum liqueur - which she would sip on the rocks.   ----   Whenever I introduce my friends to sake, or Japanese spirits more generally, I usually start off with umeshu. Its acerbic sweetness sets it apart from other, often harsher, plum-based liqueurs without being too sugary that it ventures into being an alcopop. Great on its own, mixed with soda water or as part of a spritz, umeshu tastes, to me at least, like an understated summer evening. It evokes memories of easy conver ..read more

  We're pleased to share with you our very first collaboration with Erin Niimi Longhurst, author of Japonisme and Omoiyari. Erin wrote extensively about Japanese food and sake and so we're excited to share some of favourite recipes to have with our favourite sakes. Enjoy!   ----   The sake we’re highlighting this month is the sparkling ‘awa’ sake – Mutsu Hassen 8000 Brut Nature. Light, dry and refreshing, it’s a perfect accompaniment for a summery day.   Our friends at Hachinohe recommended a pairing of Caprese Salad, and we were excited about the combination of the tart ..read more