What We’re Drinking: Takachiyo honjouzou nihonshu (sake)
I’ve recently been spending tons of time learning everything I can about shochu. If you follow me on Twitter, then you’re probably already familiar with my ramblings on the subject.
Anyway, it came as a bit of a surprise when I noticed that I have yet to review a bottle of nihonshu.
So I busted out a bottle of Takachiyo and gave it a whirl.
After letting the temperature on this one rise a little (I purposefully keep my fridge cold enough to kill the taste on most Japanese macrobrews) it hit the tip of my tongue with a bunch of bready sweetness that gave way to a rather round body.
The closer this sake got to room temperature, the more I liked it. It developed more of a spine as sour notes began to creep in from the sides. I started to get a slight amount of fruitiness as it warmed as well. This made perfect sense since I was revealing a fruitier bouquet on the nose with each refill.
Although I didn’t have enough left to try it myself, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it might be amenable to warming. This nihonshu really made me want to eat some fish. It would go well with saba (mackerel).
The seimaibuai (milling rate) on this one is 63%, and the label on the bottle states that it is a honjouzou which indicates that a small amount of distilled alcohol was added during the brewing process to (most likely) level the flavor out a bit.
So while it wasn’t ginjo, it was definitely smooth and balanced enough to be worth another try. If anyone else has tried this, I would love to read your tasting notes. Just post them in the comments.
For those who can read Japanese, here is the Takachiyo website. You won’t find the bottle pictured above on that website. As you may already know, labels and bottle colors can change drastically in the nihonshu world from year to year.
Special Event: Japan Booze Blind LIVE
It’s almost hanami season!
Every year, Japanese throw outdoor parties beneath the sakura (cherry blossoms). Known as hanami, these flower-viewing parties are really just an excuse for families, co-workers or groups of friends to meet and drink together.
To celebrate the arrival of the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, Japan Eats is hosting an exclusive LIVE event. Hosted by Christopher Pellegrini, Japan Booze Blind will go out live Sunday, March 28th at 3 p.m. (Tokyo time) on Livestream. We know you’ll have questions about hanami season – what it is, and how best to celebrate it. We invite you to submit them via email (pellegrini@japaneats.tv) or in the chatroom during the show.
This is your chance to get involved. We look forward to hearing what you have to say!
What We’re Drinking: Sapporo x Royce Chocolat Brewery
Oh my, they certainly weren’t kidding when they named this one.
Normally in such a collaboration, the secondary or nominal ingredient is there for branding more than anything else and is sometimes barely even noticeable. Not so, in this case. While the beer, of course, contains no finished Royce product, it most certainly contains chocolate. I popped open the can, poured it into a frosty pilsner glass, started to raise it towards my face and WHAM! Read more
What we’re drinking: Delirium Christmas
Oh look, the pink elephant is ice skating. Deja vu.
Drank this beauty this past weekend at my local haunt, Duke. Delirium Christmas, also commonly labeled as Delirium Noël, comes with a few different versions of the pink elephant on the front.
Truth be told, I ended up drinking this Belgian strong dark ale two nights in a row. I got the pink elephant on a sled the second time around. I was informed that there is also a version of the label that has a bunch of elephants pulling a sleigh.
I know it tastes exactly the same, but I will not rest until I try that one as well. You have my word on that.
Oh, and as a little quiz, how many elephants are there on a typical Delirium serving glass?
Anyway, this beer was just as irresistible as I had anticipated. I’m a huge fan of Delirium Tremens (who isn’t?), and this seasonal ale did not disappoint.
The nose on this beer was lovely–a blend of fruity esters and a faint spiciness to bring everything together. The spice lingers and makes the phenolic aspects of this brew pleasant and generally not distracting. The dry finish is a nice relief and rounds out the experience almost perfectly.
This is another must-try from the Delirium lineup in my opinion although you may have to wait several more months to find it again.
In the meantime, just keep yourself busy with another wintery delight, atsukan.
Boozehound: Keel (Shibuya)
It’s Men-Only (except on Sundays), we’ll put that up front.
Keel is a nice combination of local and stylish. The owner hangs around dispensing wisdom and recommendations on shochu, which is what this bar is all about. (Umeshu – including a lovely yuzu-infused delight – and beer are the other options. The only other options.) Read more
Japan Booze Blind: Umeshu
Guests Simon Pengilly and James Steele join host Christopher Pellegrini in testing three types of umeshu.
Japan Booze Blind: Umeshu from Japan Eats on Vimeo.
Boozehound: Shimo-Igusa Ni-chome
I may be stealing Marcus Lovitt’s thunder by reviewing this little gem, which he recommended to me, but he’s busy with Japan Booze, Blind and all that food porn, so I got dibs on the aptly and simply-named Shimo-Igusa Ni-chome. Read more
Japan Booze Blind: White Ale
Guests Garrett DeOrio and James Steele join host Christopher Pellegrini in testing three types of white ale.
What we’re drinking: Nanbu Bijin
After a long day on the set of Japan Booze, Blind or Tokyo Bites, when meeting to write or plan the next step for Japan Eats, amid the vicissitudes of fortune, there is one constant; one thing in which Marcus, Christopher, and I can always find comfort, solace, and enjoyment: The Beautiful Southern Lady. Read more
What we’re drinking: Zamani Shochu
A treasure from Sukumo City!
Last night I wrote about a cheap, plastic jar-encased shochu that didn’t have a whole lot of character other than the label promising that the contents might be a ‘treasure’.
Right now I’m sipping something a little bit more involved. I have a beautiful blue bottle of Zamani shochu from Kochi prefecture, and this is a drink where the taste matches the nose.
And I mean that in a good way. The nose has a sweet potato buzz in it and it has a nice shochu bite going down the hatch!
“Zamani”, a product of the city of Sukumo, means ‘very’ or ‘really’ in the local dialect, so I think that it’s only right to say that this shochu is zamani gorgeous!
I’m a big fan of how clean the mouthfeel and finish on this shochu are. The sweetness balances the alcohol nicely, and it is proving to be a very drinkable bottle right now.
As usual, I’m drinking my shochu neat, but don’t be afraid to throw it on some rocks or water it down a little bit. I would urge you, however, to give Zamani a shot straight up before mixing anything else in with it.
