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

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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.

Recommended Brands in this Episode: 

Gokyo 五橋  http://www.gokyo-sake.co.jp 

Kinpai 金盃 http://www.kinpai.co.jp

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