Kujira Junmai Ginjo Nakadori
Alcohol percentage: 17%
The best consumption temperature: 5°C – 15°C
Brewery: Chiyoshuzo
Sake Rice: Yamada Nishiki
Rice polishing ratio: 50%
Storage: Avoid direct sunlight and be refrigerated
Food pairings: fresh spring rolls, cinnamon donut, Vietnamese pho
Brewery
Chiyoshuzol is a young and small-scaled brewery located in between Nara and Osaka. Situated at the foot of Mount Katsuragi, the abundant groundwater resources stiffens the brewery to make the best use of its benefit for brewing. They started to grow their own Yamada Nishiki around the sake brewery in 1994. The soil nourishes the fascinating aroma in the rice, while the microorganisms brought by the cold climate shelter in the water. The unique features of a local environment always give special characteristics to its inhabitants. This little brewery persists in its philosophy of enjoying the rich nature of Kujira and continues to make sake with the best use of this vouchsafed water and the blessings of this land.
In an interview with the CEO, he raised an interesting concept. With the continuous refinement of the sake industry in the last century, rice milling polishers with a height of more than ten meters have become commonplace.
“If you take a sip of our Japanese sake, you will always want something to eat. This is the Japanese sake we want to bring to people. We think that a good sake has to be able to pair with food. Nowadays, there are many sakes with strong aromas. They are found very popular on the market, but they cannot be paired with food. Our goal is to use local ingredients to brew the best accompaniment.”
Note
Like fireworks suddenly rushing to the sky,
Tore apart the empty night,
It freezes for a moment,
And disappeared and fell adroitly,
As if it never appeared in the world,
But because of it, the world has become different.
This is the feeling that “Kujira” brings to me. Namazake gives it a modest amount of carbon dioxide and brings a pleasant sensation of gas splashing slightly in the mouth.
The incense of ginjo accompanied by ginkgo in autumn, following the aroma of apples in summer glide through your throat. but is not reminiscent of sweetness. It is a sake with a dry main base note. The rice polishing ratio just pasts the rules of Daiginjo, but the overall light, dry, crisp style is my favorite.
The thing I like most about this sake is the fleeting end. Usually, when tasting sakes, points are deducted for a short aftertaste. But turn the other way round, it flashes in your mouth and disappears like fireworks, isn’t it interesting?
This kind of full-bodied but clean and smooth sake is of course good for food pairing. Don’t worry about the flavoring of the food that will smother the grace of the sake. Every sip of the sake is like a drop of fireworks in your mouth. Let’s pair it with some summer festival food.
(Disclaimer: The author has given consent to Sakeholic for re-posting and translating, the original passage can be found on the author’s Weibo. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the website and its company.)
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