Sake World email Newsletter #200, October 2017
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Sake World Newsletter
Issue #200
October 2017 |
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Greetings to all readers,
Happy belated Sake Day! As I am sure you know by now, October 1 is Sake Day. Some call it International Sake Day, and officially in Japan it is called Nihonshu no Hi. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed at least one Kampai! on October 1.
You didn’t know that it was Sake Day? No worries; neither did most Japanese people. We’ll just leave it at that.
Welcome to the 200th edition of the Sake World email Newsletter. Yeppir: 200 sake newsletters. At the average of 11 per year, that is 18 years of sake newsletters. However, I had an actual physical printed newsletter that I snail-mailed (remember that stuff?) for a couple of years prior to this email version, so in actuality I have been writing sake newsletters for 20 years. Back then, Bill Clinton was president of the US. I’m just sayin’.
There are a couple of newsletter-related announcements.
First, I am going to take a short break from writing this newsletter. Not a long one; just a short one. A couple of months, max; perhaps not even that long. And that is if I can keep myself away from it! Sometimes topics and stories just
beg to be written – and
now. But my intention is to take a couple of months off.
Next, the newsletter will be less regular. It might be more than once a month at some periods, and it might be less than once a month during others. It depends on what flows and what else I have happening.
Third, the format may change. I may not always have exactly two stories and announcements. It might be just one, but it might be two. It might just be an announcement. And it might not be consistent.
This is so as to adjust to the way people – myself included – read stuff these days, i.e. on the fly and quickly. I have from time to time received feedback that my newsletters were too long. I could see that, but I stuck to my format, albeit for no good reason. So one change I will implement is that they may be shorter. Having said that, sometimes there is just too much to say (it is, after all, sake that we are talking about!), so I still may include more content from time to time.
Lastly, I will be experimenting a bit. I may just have a few lines of an article that then lead to my blog via one of those obnoxious “keep reading” links. I may not do that. And I may go back and forth until I find what works for most readers.
Across the 20 years I have been writing this newsletter in its various manifestations, Ihave and continue to appreciate everyone’s readership. My efforts here are both to keep up with changes in how we all relate to media, and to keep it fresh and enjoyable for myself as well.
Again: thanks for your continued readership!
Please enjoy issue #200 – with that hopefully omnipresent glass of sake.
John
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Sake Professional Course Las Vegas December 4~6
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Just announced! The next Sake Professional Course will take place in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Hotel December 4~6. Learn more and make a reservation
here. |
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Issue #14 of Sake Today has shipped! f you are not yet
subscribed, what are you waiting for? Read the world's only English sake magazine and learn even more about sake.
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Sake Confidential goes into depth on many topics not usually touched upon. read reviews
here a New York Times brief mention
here, and order from your favorite bookseller
here as well.
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One Percent Seimai Buai Attained!
Tatenokawa Shuzo in Yamagata Prefecture has produced a sake with a one percent seimai buai. One. Percent.
The product is named Komyo. Only 1500 bottles (720ml) were made, and they went on sale for 100,000 yen (circa US$960) each on Sake Day, October 1. See the
Tatenokawa website for information on the retail outlets handling it.
They used a Yamagata rice called Dewa Sansan, which is known to be harder than most i.e. will stand up to more milling without cracking or breaking. Still, they must have done something to specifically select the grains that went into this, since they would need to be relative large to begin with. In order to achieve the one percent, the milling machines ran for two and a half months straight, for a total of about 1800 hours. For a daiginjo milled to 35 percent, this usually takes about 72 hours.
I do not currently have any more detailed information than the above. If that comes my way I will share it in time. Also, I do not expect to be able to taste it, with only 150 bottles made. I’m OK with that.
As a quick review that may be superfluous, the seimai buai refers to how much the rice was milled before brewing. The number expressed refers to the percentage of the rice grain by weight that remains after milling. So a 70 percent seimai buai means that the outer 30 percent was milled away, leaving the inner 70 percent remaining. A 40 percent seimai buai means that after milling only 40 percent of the original grain remains. And, of course, a one percent seimai buai means that a ridiculously whopping 99 percent of the grain was milled away, leaving only the inner one percent of each grain of rice remaining.
Why is the rice milled? Because fat and protein that can inhibit fermentation and lead to rough flavors resides in the outer portion of the grains of rice, and milling more and more removes those offending compounds. Of course, this can go too far in the opinion of many, and milling too much can potentially strip the resulting sake of character. Not necessarily, mind you; just potentially.
While surely most readers recall, to qualify for daiginjo the rice must be milled to a seimai buai of 50 percent. It can be taken further, of course. The erstwhile maximum was 35 percent, but from a several years ago a few producers pushed that envelope. We saw sake made with a 23 percent seimai buai, then 18 percent seimai buai. Until October 1, though, the maximum on the market was seven percent, of which there were three (Tatenokawa, Raifuku of Ibaraki, and Hakurakusei of Miyagi).
Keep in mind more milling is not better. Sure, it makes the sake lighter and more refined. But that might not be what one wants to drink. And even if your preference is lighter, more refined sake, more milling will lead to that to a certain degree. But once a certain threshold is crossed, milling beyond that will not make the sake any lighter or more refined.
While plenty of 35 percent sake exist, many folks in the industry say going beyond 40 percent is meaningless. Furthermore, if a brewer uses a method of milling rice in such a way that it maintains the original oblong shape of each grain (rather than rounding them out), then a higher percentage of fat is removed with less milling. In that case, going much beyond 60 is moot, say some. (Such methods are called henpei seimai, or cho-henpai seimai, and you can learn much about it from Daishichi’s web site:
http://www.daishichi.com/english/theme_park/henpei5.html )
Regardless, going to one percent seimai buai has no real technical merit. So, why do it?
Because it’s something to talk about. It is newsworthy. It is good marketing. People will remember your brand. In that sense, it is brilliant.
And, at one percent, you cannot be outdone. Or so you’d think. But never say never in the sake world.
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Sake Professional Course in Las Vegas, December 4 - 6
As mentioned above, I will run the last Sake Professional Course of 2017 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Hotel from Monday, December 4, through Wednesday December 6.
The content of this intensive sake course will be identical to that of the Sake Professional Course held each January in Japan, with the exception of visiting sake breweries. The course is recognized by the Sake Education Council, and those that complete it will be qualified to take the exam for Certified Sake Specialist, which will be offered on the evening of the last day of the course.
The cost for the three-day class, including all materials and sake for tasting, is US$899. Participation is limited and reservations can be made now to secure a seat; full payment is requested by November 15. You can read Testimonials from past participants
here. You can see this information online
here, and download it
here. For reservations or inquiries, please send an email to sakeguy@gol.com.
“No Sake Stone Remains Left Unturned!”
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Sake Tours to Niigata
Interested in visiting sake breweries in Japan? You can do no better than joining this line of organized tours. The next trip will be the
Sake Brewery Tour in Niigata: February 18 (Sun) - 23 (Fri), 2018
Visit the leading sake producing region of Niigata and its rugged, remote island–Sado. There are over 90 breweries in the prefecture, and you will
have the opportunity to really get to know four brewers. Taste the hospitality of traditional, elite Niigata society at dinner with a Geisha performance. Savor the praised Niigata rice and a simple farm kitchen lunch. Experience sake picnic in the snow, local salmon culture and a unique tea culture in traditional machiya houses. On Sado Island, pick up sticks and be a Kodo drummer yourself. On the last night on the island, soak in open-air onsen hot springs by the sea.
Tour Cost: 370,000 JPY for double occupancy/390,000 JPY for single occupancy
Guests will check in at the designated hotel in Tokyo on Sunday, February 18. This tour includes John Gauntner’s lecture and one-way transportation to Niigata.
http://www.saketours.com/tour/niigata/
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About This Newsletter
I hope you have found the above information helpful and entertaining. For more information about all things sake, please check out
www.sake-world.com. Until next month, warm regards, and enjoy your sake.
Questions and comments should be directed to John Gauntner, at this
email address.
All material Copyright, John Gauntner & Sake World Inc.
Regards,
John Gauntner
Sake World, Inc.
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