Rice Polishing Ratio Down To 18%
A Dream Daiginjo Sake Now In Store
What makes a good sake? This is a question similar to “What makes a good man” or “What makes a good woman”. Even though consensus can never be reached, there are always some ideal requirements. For some sake fans, a nice sake is the one with low rice polishing ratio, brewed using the top-ranked Yamadanishiki or pressed by the bag-hanging (aka fukuro-tsuri) method. If you are this kind of fans, here is your dream sake – Horai Super S Junmai Daiginjo (18%).
※The above item is sold on a pre-order basis until 11:59pm on 21st Oct. Estimated shipping date from Japan would be 29th Oct. Other products in the same order would also be shipped on the same date.
※The above item is sold on a pre-order basis until 11:59pm on 31st Mar. Estimated shipping date from Japan would be 29th Oct. Other products in the same order would also be shipped on the same date.
Crazy Skills, Crazy Thoughts
As the most premium sake of Watanabe Brewery, situated in Gifu Prefecture, “Horai Super S Junmai Daiginjo” demonstrates what most sake fans are dreaming of. It is not only brewed using Yamadanishiki, but the best harvest from the A-grade zone in Hyogo Prefecture with the polishing ratio down to 18%. To polish rice to 70% usually takes 12 hours, but in the case of “Horai Super S”, up to 150 hours are needed, almost 13 times longer. Since it is fermented at low temperature, drip-pressed through bag-hanging and aged 8-month at zero temperature, the cost, time and skills involved are beyond our imagination.As making this sake requires tremendous work and attention, the humorous brewery thinks this is like a torture and have decided to make a sarcastic joke by naming their final product “Super S Junmai Daiginjo” with the “S” standing for “Sadistic”. Even the package design is on par with this idea – the label is made in a shape of blindfold, the “S” word printed on it is a copy of whips and the bottleneck is bound with a chain.
Your Taste Buds Will Dance and Sing
With all the efforts spent, the taste of the sake will literally make your taste buds dance and sing. On the nose, it is extremely complex, floral and fruity with the enticing notes of melon, strawberry, banana, white flower, vanilla, white rice, cream cheese and milk. On the palate, it is delicate, soft, rich and mouthcoating. The sweetness is perfectly balanced by the acidity while the umami becomes more expressive as time passes. To fully enjoy the changes, it is best served chilled in a big red wine glass. Apart from fish and seafood, it can also go excellently with savory and greasy meat like spare ribs and pork belly.