Destination D e s t i n a t i o n

Sake rice being steamed at Matsumidori brewery

Tsukinowa brewery

ur Sake knowledge expedition began right from at a well equipped JSS Information Centre where 60 different Sakes from all over are Blending O stocked at any given point of time. After an introductory presentation by Yoshiro Okamoto, Vice President, JSS, we learnt the basics of Sake at a day-long knowledge session with John Tradition & Innovation Gauntner, the world’s leading non-Japanese Sake expert. A tasting at the JSS Centre and a dinner A tour through Sake breweries with brewery owners towards the evening prepared 56 us for the expedition that lay ahead. 57 Col. Ravi Joshi Sakes from Having been invited by Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) – a Our next stop was Aomori, which is around an hour’s flight from Tokyo. Aomori is the trade body that promotes Japanese Sake and Shochu all over the world – I got northernmost of Japan’s main a good opportunity to get a detailed insight into Sake by visiting five breweries island, which has high reputation for its local brews. The prefecture’s capital

2020 in Aomori and Iwate – the two northernmost of Japan. I was a part 2020 is also called Aomori, which is well of a global group of seven beverage experts; being the only one from India. connected from everywhere in Japan. March March

Japan has 47 prefectures, each having Sakes typical to the region and there is Aomori is famous for its winter landscapes, no prefecture in Japan that doesn’t produce Sake. There is so much to learn & cherry blossoms and apples that account for over

Spiritz half of Japan’s annual apple harvest. Ravi Joshi enjoying Kaiseki cuisine with Spiritz imbibe in the land of Sake. Sake in the Destination Destination

Aomori Snapshot 19 breweries Iwate Snapshot Rice varieties: Hana-fubuki (mostly used for 22 breweries Junmai Sakes), Hana-omoi (mostly used for premium Rice varieties: Yui-noka, Gin-ginga, and Gin-otome Ginjo and Daiginjo Sakes) Native Yeast: Jobanni-no-shirabe (Sakes with refined Native Yeast: Mahoroba-hana taste and aroma), Yuko-no-omoi (Sakes with soft, Approximate Annual Production: 4000 kilo litres warm flavours) Most of the Sake breweries in Aomori are family Approximate Annual Production: 2500 kilo litres owned. We visited three of them, each with a different scale and uniqueness.

Hachinohe Brewery, situated by the harbour side

Sakes and Spirituality at Shuzo Hachinohe Shuzo brewery is located by the Hachinohe city’s harbour-side area on the Pacific coast. The brewery The Rokkon range Shiro Inoue explaining the lab testing for the was founded in 1740 and is run today by the eighth ongoing Sake batch at Matsumidori brewery generation of the Komai family - brothers Hideyuki (Senior Managing Director), Nobuyuki (Managing Director) and Indian Connect at Rokka Shuzo production. Matsumidori started out during the Toji. Their Sake is brewed only with Aomori rice and their The Rokka Shuzo brewery is one of the biggest (1603 and 1868) as a Shubo (yeast starter) company that two main brands are Mutsu-Hassen (fruity and drinkable) in Aomori, being spread over 40,000 square metres. sold to brewers in the nearby Tsugaru region. In 1904, and Mutsu -Otokoyama (crisp and well defined). The total The brewery was established in 1972 by merging three they began making their own Sake and today they are one production volume is 4,86,000 litres. companies (one of them established in 1719) to compete of the most inspiring breweries of their region. The spiritual connect of Sake was the first thing that we with the big breweries of the region. Shiro Inoue, the Brewery Director, obliged us with a experienced at the Hachinohe Shuzo brewery by partaking Rokka Shuzo (production volume: 360,000 litres) is tasting while offering to show us around. Matsumidori in a ceremony at their Daisuke shrine. Most Sake most famous for their dry range ‘Joppari’ Sakes with brewery produces 81,000 litres of Sake. breweries have their own Shinto altar where the brewer the ‘Daruma’ logo that interestingly has an Indian Inside Matsumidori’s traditional ‘low seating’ Japanese invites a local Shinto priest to pray for a good brewing year. connect, as Daruma happens to be the for room, we tasted their premium range of Sakes called After a round of their brewery, we tasted several of the Bodhidharma; an Indian monk who took Zen Buddhism to Rokkon (six senses). The range is a take on the five Hachinohe Shuzo Sakes. I particularly liked their Mutsu- Ravi Joshi mashing the Moromi at Rokka Shuzo brewery Japan via . Daruma dolls incidentally are also good human senses coupled with the human spirit, thus pitching Hassen Reimei Junmai Daiginjo, made from the extremely luck charms, often sold in Japanese temples. it much beyond. rare Reimei rice, and the richer Mutsu-Hassen Daiginjo island of . The prefecture has been a prominent At Rokka Shuzo brewery we could also try our hands at Each variant of Rokkon is further named after gems with Umami characteristics. They also make a ‘wine political seat since centuries, being established as a major the various Sake production processes including paddling like Diamond, Ruby, Jade and Sapphire, etc. Inoue styled’ Sake called Mutsu-Hassen Blanc with 12 percent centre of the powerful Fujiwara clan in the 12th century 58 the ‘Moromi’ (fermenting Sake mash). Kitamura Hiroshi, explained that such a bold naming implies Matsumidori’s alcohol and acidity; similar to a medium crisp white wine. and governed by the Nanbu clan during the Edo period. 59 President, Rokka Shuzo, hosted a private tasting for us approach of painstakingly polishing each grain of rice to And a rice ale resembling an IPA produced using hops in Owing to its historical richness, Iwate is known for that showcased their diverse range of Sakes. get the finest results. The brewery’s other Sakes include the Sake mash. its many heritage symbols like the Nanbu Tekki (Nanbu Apart from Joppari, which is a dry Sake, Rokka Matsumidori and Reiho (their heritage brands) and Deka Towards the same evening we dined with Hideyuki ironware), Joboji lacquer and Hayachine Kagura - a also produces sweet Sakes and Sake-based liqueurs. My top that is best served warm. Komai at a local Italian restaurant Casa del Cibo that has Shinto theatrical dance that is inscribed on the UNESCO favourites at Rokka turned out their Joppari Hanaomai It was nothing short of a revelation that several of Mutsu Hassen Sakes on its list. Some stimulating pairings Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

(Junmai Daiginjo), Joppari Akinori (Junmai Ginjo) and Matsumidori’s Sakes are certified as ‘KJ’(Kosher Japan), a with a fusion of Italian- made using local A number of Sakes, rice and yeasts in Iwate take their Joppari Yuuka (Junmai, low alcohol). standard that has lately been gaining popularity in Japan ingredients, offered us a wider canvas to explore the Mutsu names from the works of locally-born novelist and poet, 2020 2020 and abroad. Hassen Sakes. Miyazawa Kenji (1896 to 1933). Iwate is also home to the Artisanal Brews from Matsumidori My best liked Sakes at Matsumidori were Rokkon Jade, highly skilled and respected guild of Nanbu Toji (master March March

Nestled in the historical town of is the a Junmai Daiginjo (that I eventually bought for home too) Timeless Brews from Iwate brewers) whose members work all over Japan; typically Matsumidori brewery that can well be classified as and Rokkon Aiyama, a Junmai Ginjo; made from the very Located to the south of Aomori on the Pacific coast, producing clean and crisp Sakes. We visited two prominent

Spiritz ‘boutique’, given its artisanal methods and limited rare Aiyama rice from the Hyogo prefecture. Iwate is Japan’s second largest prefecture after the northern breweries as also the Nanbu Toji Guild and museum. Spiritz Destination

Know your Sake Sake is a fermented (not distilled) alcoholic beverage made using rice, Koji mold, yeast and water. It is usually bottled at around 16 percent ABV; watered down from its naturally occurring 20 percent ABV. Most of the Sakes are not aged and are meant to be Sake Tasting at JSS drunk fresh.

Heady Date at Hamachidori Hamachidori brewery is located at the centre of Kamaishi, a steel producing city that was severely affected by the tsunami of 2011. Being located about seven kilometres from the sea it did not suffer direct damage but lost many regular customers who perished during the disaster. Hamachidori (total production volume 270,000 litres) is a true local Sake brand, with 92 percent of its Sake being consumed in Iwate prefecture, of which 60 percent is in Hiroko Yokosawa, owner and Toji of Tsukinowa brewery, inspecting the brewing Sake Kamaishi alone. Their integration with the local community is so tight that they regularly invite locals to get involved Tsukinowa’s products include a Junmai Sake made in their Sake producing activities. The best part is that the only from locally grown Mochi-gome - a glutinous rice participants get to keep their fruit of labour i.e. a bottle of commonly used for making rice cakes. This rice is rarely the finished Sake. used in Sake making but produces unusually fragrant and Hamachidori’s Toji is the young Okuyama Kotaro who soft Sake. Another of Tsukinowa’s unusual product is their passed the Nanbu Toji Guild Toji Assessment Test at the ice-cream made only from Koji and milk that was invented age of 29. Kotaro took us passionately around his brewery, and patented by Hiroko’s father Daizo Yokosawa. After our after which we tasted a good range of their Sakes; some brewery visit we had an opportunity to sample the Sakes of them served cold as well as warm. Their Ginjo-shu is as well as the ice-creams that came in various flavours like extremely expressive, courtesy their own developed yeast matcha, blueberry and pumpkin. 60 and captive groundwater apart from the local Kamaishi Tsukinowa’s innovative methods are aplenty. Most water. My favourites are Hamachidori Ginjo made from the significantly, they develop their Koji over more than 2 locally grown Ginginga rice and Hamachidori Arabashiri weeks as against the usual two days. Hiroko explained the (free run Sake) Junmai. long drawn process with temperature fluctuations that can extract many layers of flavours from their Sakes. Tsukinowa Innovative Methods of Tsukinowa also uses different pressing methods for different grades

Our last brewery stop was at the 1886 founded Tsukinowa of Sakes including the very artisanal and expensive drip Brewery that is based in the town of Shiwa in Iwate. method for their Daiginjo Sakes. 2020 Tsukinowa’s Toji is Hiroko Yokosawa, one of the first Some of the inspiring Tsukinowa Sakes that we tasted female Tojis of Japan. Along with her husband Takayuki at the brewery were Junmai Daiginjo with a combination of March

Yokosawa, who is the brewery President, she represents Yamadanishiki and Yuinoka rice, Junmai White Label made the fifth generation at Tsukinowa. The brewery’s total using white Koji and the much anticipated Mochigome;

Spiritz production volume stands at 108,000 litres. made from Hime-no-mochi glutinous rice.