I enjoyed some delicious sake at dinner with my family tonight. I found it in a pop-up stall in Matsuzakaya Department store this afternoon.
It's unpasteurized which means it's not heated or diluted. More
importantly it is made of very rare sake rice called "Goriki", which is
exclusively produced in the Tottori prefecture. Another ingredient is
white koji mold.
Most people say that unpasteurized sake tastes fruity but the Goriki
sake rice and the white koji mold give it a slightly sour, fresh taste.
The aftertaste is also very pleasant.
My eyes were glued to the bulletin board on which every detail about
the sake was hand-written. I read "Yonago" which is a city in the
Tottori prefecture where my grandparents used to live. Sweet memories
filled my heart. I enjoyed a chat with one of the staff from the Inata
Brewery in Yonago.
The name of the brewery is Inata and this bottle of sake was named after
"Princess Inata" who appears in the ancient legends about Shinto
deities.
In Japan sake is produced in a number of places and generally
speaking each brewery has established a long history and sense of pride.
In each location differences in the spring water and rice used to make
the sake and differences in climate make each sake very unique. Each
one has its own history and taste.
It's really fascinating to find out about and explore these differences and see how they affect the taste.
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