Sake Deep Dive

Aruten: A Constant Companion In this episode of Sake Deep Dive, Co-Hosts Andrew Russel and Jim Rion go back the very beginnings of when, and why, distilled alcohol was first added to seishu, trace the rise and fall of aruten, and see just what goes into this delicious class of sake.  Recommended Sake in this Episode: Andrew: Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute Honjozo Jim: Nakashimaya Tokubetsu Honjozo Useful vocabulary for this episode: Aruten: short for arukooru tenka, meaning “added alcohol.” The catch-all common term for sake that has distilled alcohol added. Honjozo: the specific term for tokuteimeishoshu (special designation sake) made with added distilled alcohol. Shochu: Japan’s original distilled alcohol tradition. Goes back some 500 years, and originally just meant “distilled alcohol.” Now, classed into two varieties: honkaku, or authentic, shochu is a single distilled craft beverage, while korui shochu is cheap, highly-distilled neutral alcohol diluted down to 25% as a base for mixed drinks. Hashirashochu / Hashirajochu: A name used for the traditional distilled alcohol that was added to the sake mash from the early Edo period. Our theme music is from Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg

In this episode of Sake Deep Dive, Jim and Andy take a look at Ginjo--the word, the sake, and the significance. We hope people learn that there’s more to it than just milling ratios, and see just how important Hiroshima is to the modern conception of this “scrutinized” brewing method. Remember, ginjo is good, but it’s not everything! Recommended sake in this episode Andrew: Fukucho Hattanso Ginjo, Imada Shuzo Honten, Hiroshima Ippakusuisei, Fukurokuju Shuzo, Akita Jim: Kankiko Chiisana Yorokobi, Sawada Shuzo, Nara Useful vocabulary from this episode 吟味する ginmi suru - to thoroughly scrutinize, investigate, or savor. YK35 - A winning recipe for the annual Japan sake awards back in the day. Yamadanishiki milled to 35%, and Kyugo Kobo (Association yeast number 9). Our theme music is from Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg

Futsushu, the sadly undervalued, yet overwhelmingly popular base of the sake pyramid. In Sake Deep Dive's inaugural episode, hosts Jim Rion and Andrew Russell discuss the meaning of the term, its history, and the reason why so many people turn up their noses at this enormously diverse class of sake. They also give some insight into how it's made, and how to know which ones are worth trying. Recommended Brands in this Episode:  Gokyo 五橋  http://www.gokyo-sake.co.jp  Kinpai 金盃 http://www.kinpai.co.jp Useful Japanese vocabulary for this episode: 級別制度 kyuubetsu seido: The old ranked system for classifying sake into Tokkyuu, 1-kyuu, and 2-kyuu. Lasted from 1942 to 1992. Now, many futsushu labels call back to this system with 特撰 Tokusen, 上撰 Jousen, and 佳撰 Kasen. Our theme music is from Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg