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The « International Shizuoka Sake Lovers » held their first Tasting Session organized in Hamamatsu City on April 30 the 30th by Matthew Ryan and Robert-Gilles Martineau.
We decide to call ourselves such to unify all the budding groups in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Kakegawa and other cities for the sake (sorry for the pun!) of convenience. We also opted to concentrate on a single different Bewery each time to enable our friends to learn all about the Shizuoka Breweries in a more efficient manner.
This first session introduced brews by Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery in Hamamatsu City.
Name: Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery: Shusseijo Tokubetsu Junmai
Rice: Yamada Nishiki 100%
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Yeast: Shizuoka Yeast
Bottled: March 2008
Clarity: Very clear
Colour: Almost transparent
Aroma: Alcohol/Almonds/Light/Floral.
Body: Velvety
Taste: Short tail, but warming/Fruity: almonds/Almost sweet. Turns sweeter with food.
Overall: Solid sake. Goes well with any food.
Name: Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery: Junmai Ginjo
Rice milled down to 50%
Alcohol: 15=16 degrees
Botteld: March 2008
Clarity: Very clear
Colour: Almost transparent
Aroma: Almonds/Floral/Light
Body: Velvety
Taste: Almonds/Light junmai tingle/Turns sweeter and solid with food. Shortish tail.
Comments: A sake designed for food. Adapts itself to any food. Seems to be a common character from this brewery
Name: Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery: Shusseijo Ginjo Nama
Rice milled down to 50%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled: April 2008
Clarity: Very clear
Colour: Light golden tinge
Aroma: Almonds/Nama characteristics
Body: Velvety
Taste: Alcohol/Almonds, nuts, melon, bananas/Light tingle. Turns sweeter with food.
Overall: Sold sake. Goes down so well with food. Will actually improve with food!
Name: Hamamatsu-Tenjingura Brewery: Junmai Ginjo Muroka (Unfifiltered) Nama Genshu/As it comes out!
Rice: Yamada Nishiki (Hyogo Prefecture)
Rice milled dwon to 50%
Alcohol: 18~19 degrees
Bottled: 2008
Clarity: Very clear
Colour: Almost transparent
Aroma: Alcohol/Fruity, melon/Dry/ »Comes from a distance »
Body: Velvety
Taste: Complex, fruity, pineapple. Spreads further from a short tail.
Overall: Drunk best on its own. Session sake. Elegant. Lots of character!
dragonlife
Dear Mel!
Greetings!
That is one group I’m trying to keep going, although it is difficult to make it a regular things as we are not so many foreigners down here, what with the Nova bust-up and the smaller population. But I will keep trying.
Australians, New Zealanders and the British are interested. We do not have so many Americans down here, and they tend to stay at home!
Australians do prefer the stronger genshu stuff whie the British, especially ladies go for the gentler premium sake.
One of these days we might all in Japan have to put our heads together I suppose!
Melinda
Now that is a party I’d like to join! How international is the group? Did you notice any particular preferences that could be « culturally ascribed » – like the Australians preferred the genshu, etc.???