New sake brewed with Koshi no Shizuku, a rice that stood up to the scorching summer

At Ippongi Kubo Honten, a long-established sake brewery in Katsuyama in Fukui Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast, brewing has begun on new sake made with rice harvested only this season. The brewery is using Koshi no Shizuku, a sake rice grown in Okuetsu, the mountainous eastern part of the prefecture that includes Katsuyama. This year’s Japanese summer brought dangerous heat and record-breaking heavy rain, and there were concerns about the quality of the rice crop. This year’s brewing is one example of how producers are preparing for a changing climate.

A heat-tolerant sake rice supports this year’s brewing

Sake rice is rice grown specifically for making sake. It is distinguished by grains that are larger than those of table rice, with starch concentrated at the centre. Koshi no Shizuku is a variety that tolerates heat, and this year it was harvested after the Obon holiday in mid-August. As a result, even after a harsh summer, the brewery was able to start brewing on schedule. The decline in quality caused by high temperatures is a challenge for rice farming across Japan, and the choice of variety and the timing of the harvest seem to be becoming ways of protecting the quality of the sake.

The toji’s aim: “freshness”

Sake made with Koshi no Shizuku is characterised by a combination of freshness with rich aroma and umami. Nobukazu Oi, the toji (master brewer) who leads production at the brewery, says that this year, as always, he wants to produce a sake that is fresh and full of flavour. The sake reached its “hatsu-shibori” (first pressing) on 22 October and was delivered to restaurants and bars in Fukui Prefecture. It is scheduled to go on sale in shops from 7 November.

Enjoying the new sake season in Europe

This first pressing was shipped first to the local market. However, “shinshu” (new sake), which Japanese breweries make from that year’s rice in autumn and winter, and “shiboritate” (freshly pressed sake bottled straight after pressing), are sometimes stocked as seasonal products by specialist shops and sake importers in Europe. Check the label or product description for the rice variety and the region of origin. When choosing a sake from Fukui, whether the brewery is committed to local rice can be one useful guide. Freshly pressed new sake is best served chilled to enjoy its fresh aroma. Thinking about how the year’s weather shows in the flavour as you drink may help you appreciate that sake, too, is an agricultural product.

Sources FNN Prime Online (Fukui Television), “New sake first brewed with Okuetsu-grown sake rice ‘Koshi no Shizuku’ at Ippongi Kubo Honten in Katsuyama; fresh, rich flavour; first pressing on 22 October”