Brewers with an Unwavering Brewing Philosophy

On April 20th, the 32nd issue of the sake industry magazine 'Sakagura Manryu', for which I work as a writer, was published.

▼Click here for more about Sakagura Manryu▼

My assignments for this issue were:
●Imanishi Sake Brewery (Nara Prefecture), brewer of 'Mimurosugi' and 'Mimurosugi'
●Kawanishiya Sake Brewery (Kanagawa Prefecture), brewer of 'Tanzawasan' and 'Ryu'
●Tenri Sugino Main Store (Nara Prefecture)
*A restaurant recommended by Imanishi Sake Brewery
(Titles omitted)

Imanishi Sake Brewery and Kawanishiya Sake Brewery are completely different in style, but both are breweries that craft sake with a solid 'brewing philosophy.'
I will share a little bit of behind-the-scenes information from the interviews this time as well.

●Imanishi Sake Brewery (Nara Prefecture), brewer of 'Mimurosugi' and 'Mimurosugi'

Finally, finally, this day has come. The day I could interview Imanishi Sake Brewery, the brewers of my beloved 'Mimurosugi'!!

Actually, about six years ago, I had the opportunity to tour Imanishi Sake Brewery thanks to an invitation from a sake retailer I was close with.
I had loved 'Mimurosugi' since a little before that, so I was happy then too, but back then, it was a brewery that was still almost unknown nationwide. The brewery's equipment was still in the middle of being replaced, and it felt like they were brewing by trial and error (but with conviction).

In the five or six years since then, the quality of their sake has improved rapidly, and along with that, their popularity has risen nationwide, and by 2019, they had won numerous awards in domestic and international competitions. Now, they have been featured in 'dancyu' and have grown into a brewery expected to lead the next generation.

What is most amazing is that it is 'delicious every year without fail.'
You might think that saying this means they haven't improved, but that is not the case.
It seems that people feel the 'quality has dropped' if the taste is the same. In other words, being able to think that it is 'delicious every year without fail' definitely means that 'the quality of the sake is improving every year.'

When I do this kind of work, I am often asked, 'Please tell me some delicious sake.' At such times, I always recommend 'Mimurosugi'.
Why?
Because you will never be betrayed.
It is a sake that will never make you think, 'It was delicious when I drank it the other day, but it's not great this time.' There is that kind of trust.

So, where does this 'trust' come from?
I wanted to explore that in this interview. And I got the answer!

President Masayuki Imanishi of the brewery told me this at the beginning.
'Imanishi Sake Brewery has a brewing philosophy. It is: "Pure and correct sake brewing."'

'Pure' means expressing the purity of the land of Miwa, as the only sake brewery located in 'Miwa,' which is said to be the birthplace of sake and where Omiwa Shrine, known as the god of sake, is located.
And 'correct' means 'doing only what is correct' in every step of the sake brewing process.

I felt that the 'trust' I wanted to know about was in this 'doing only what is correct.'
For example, the process of 'washing rice.' The purpose of this is to 'remove the rice bran.' If so, washing it in small batches of 10kg is more certain to remove the rice bran than washing a large amount at once. This is what Imanishi Sake Brewery calls 'correct.'
To wash 10kg at a time, the task of dividing the rice into 10kg portions also arises. Since there is a process called 'soaking' after washing, that also has to be done in 10kg batches. It is a task that requires tremendous effort.
However, 'human effort' or 'time' does not matter. Every decision is 'whether it is correct or not', that is all.

This is just one example, and as mentioned earlier, since they work based on this brewing philosophy 'in every process,' it is mind-bogglingly difficult. They are putting in effort to the point where it is impossible to do any more.
President Imanishi does not allow any compromise.

'I am brewing sake with my life on the line'
This is the first time in my life I have heard such words from a brewer.
There is no way such sake would not be delicious.

A gentle aroma. A clean sake with a fresh, spreading umami of rice.
This is the 'Mimurosugi' that Imanishi Sake Brewery aims for.
And it has become exactly this kind of sake.

Another wonderful thing is that this was not the goal for Imanishi Sake Brewery.
They are now starting to climb to the next stage.
To express the land of 'Miwa' where the god of sake resides, they used wooden barrels made of Yoshino cedar associated with Mount Miwa, and with a brewing method called 'Bodaimoto' handed down in Nara, they newly released 'Mimurosugi Wooden Barrel Bodaimoto'.

Currently, there are four wooden barrels at Imanishi Sake Brewery. Since each wooden barrel has its own personality, it has become a sake where you can enjoy those individual differences.
(I bought it too, but it's too precious to drink yet~)

Also, as a postscript, there was something that made me happy. I received an email from President Imanishi about this article.

'Thank you for writing such a wonderful article! I am grateful that you made it such a fantastic piece.'

Aww.
I cried a little.
When I showed it to my husband, he laughed and said, 'You can drink sake with this as a side dish.'
I really can drink to it (lol)

'Mimurosugi' will continue to evolve. I am truly looking forward to the future.

●Kawanishiya Sake Brewery (Kanagawa Prefecture), brewer of 'Tanzawasan' and 'Ryu'

'Tanzawasan' and 'Ryu' are sakes that you rarely encounter when living in Kansai. Even so, I had drunk 'Ryu' several times.
Since I was going to interview them this time, I ordered 'Tanzawasan' and drank it for the first time.
When I looked into it, the recommended way to drink it was 'warmed sake heated up to 60°C.' I actually tried it, and it was indeed a delicious sake that became mellow by raising the temperature.

When I went to the interview and entered the brewery, brewer Masaichi Tsuroki began to speak.
Why Junmai?
Why warmed sake?
Starting with the story of sake drunk in the Heian period, he passionately talked about the splendor of Junmai warmed sake. I was just drawn into his story.

I have visited and interviewed about 100 breweries nationwide so far, and among them, I learned that there are many brewers who admire and have received guidance from
'Sake is Junmai. Even better if it's warmed.'
, the famous words left by Mr. Hiroshi Uehara (a leading expert in sake brewing technology, and the model for Mr. Hisashi Ueda in 'Natsuko no Sake'), and who have inherited his techniques and thoughts.
Mr. Tsuroki is one of them.
Therefore, 'Tanzawasan' is designed and brewed to be delicious as Junmai and when warmed.

'Sake that is faked with yeast that produces aroma can be drunk cold, but it cannot be warmed. Sake that brings out flavor when warmed must have its koji made properly.'
They brew sake based on such beliefs and brewing philosophy.
Just by watching, I could tell that there is a lot of manual labor and it is brewed with great care.

Mr. Tsuyuki is a very talkative person who happily answers any question, and the interview lasted for a staggering five hours. (Afterward, we had lunch together, and he talked for another hour there.)
That is how much 'passion' he has that he wants to share.

His eyes sparkle especially when he talks about warm sake.
Warm sake is like extracting 'dashi' (stock) from kelp or bonito flakes in cooking, he said, which left an impression on me.
If the sake is made with high-quality koji, as you slowly raise the temperature, the umami of the sake opens up just like when the umami extract slowly emerges from kelp or bonito flakes.
That is why you must not raise the temperature all at once. You must draw out the umami slowly and patiently using a hot water bath.
Typical warm sake is around 40°C to 50°C, but the sake Mr. Tsuyuki makes does not lose its flavor even when heated to 60°C. On the contrary, the umami of the rice comes out fully.

When I heard this, I felt that warm sake is something very rich.
I also like warm sake, but I surprisingly don't drink it at home. Because it takes time, requires tools, and... well, to put it bluntly, it's a hassle.
Cold sake, which you can pour directly from the bottle into a cup and drink immediately, is easier, so I often end up just having cold sake.
Gathering the tools, taking time to slowly warm the sake in a water bath, preparing a meal, and enjoying the sake and food together. What a rich and wonderful culture that is.
Hearing Mr. Tsuyuki's story reminded me that I must not forget this.

As far as I know, brewers who like warm sake love eating delicious food. Mr. Tsuyuki also beamed as he talked about the seafood caught in the local waters of Odawara.
'Odawara has delicious horse mackerel and mackerel. In winter, we eat cured mackerel with spicy soy sauce filled with plenty of green onions. It melts in your mouth like fatty tuna, and when you drink warm junmai sake with it, the umami of the rice expands and then disappears cleanly with a dry finish. When you do this, you just can't stop—one more bite, one more cup. It's addictive. This is what sake is truly meant to be.'
My mouth was watering just listening to him.
That sounds amazing—cured mackerel and warm sake!

Sake that you never tire of drinking, just like 'white rice'—that is what Mr. Tsuyuki said he aims for.
He is a brewer who crafts sake with an unwavering conviction and brewing philosophy.

▼ Click here for the story of Sakagura Manryu No. 31 ▼

▼ Click here for the story of Sakagura Manryu No. 30 ▼