A Record of a Glass | Episode 64: Aizu Miyaizumi Junmai-shu Unfiltered Nama (Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima)

Tracing the land through a single glass of sake.

Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima.
A town in a basin overlooking Mount Bandai.

In winter, it is deeply enclosed by snow,
and when spring arrives,
the rice paddies are all filled with water at once.

The harsh seasons
sharpen the water of this land.

Miyaizumi Meijo, which brews Aizu Miyaizumi,
simply makes honest sake.

They do not seek to be eccentric.
They allow no room for error.

Facing the rice and water,
in search of the "correct answer,"
they carve out the form of the sake.

Now, to the main point.

The aroma is fresh.
With a faint sweetness,
a gentle hint of fruit.

When taken into the mouth,
the vibrancy typical of nama sake rings in the throat.

After the fruitiness,
the umami of the rice leans forward.

Sweetness, umami, acidity.
There is no hesitation in that balance.

The flow is straightforward.
It is clear.
It does not falter.

The finish is pure to the very end.
And yet,
the core of the sake remains dignified.

—Delicious.

This is the kind of sake I like.

A sharpened, righteous path.

I leave this glass here
as a memory of that.