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Until old sake is made

Old liquor, which has matured more than ordinary sake, has changed to a flavor and color that cannot be imagined from the original sake. In the production of old sake, sake must be brewed according to the desired quality of the liquor, and the amount of activated carbon used before firing should be kept low, so that the aging can be carried out moderately and the storage temperature should not be too low. During storage, the ingredients in liquor slowly cause various chemical and physical reactions such as oxidation and decomposition, and increase in color from light yellow to brown over the years. The complex and diverse flavors that are not found in new sake, such as sherry, old sake, butter, caramel, molasses, mushrooms, and cinnamon, can be felt and mellow.

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Old sake is kind to the body

Compared to fresh sake, aged wine has a perfect fusion of alcohol and water molecules. For this reason, there is little irritation to the mucous membrane of the internal organs, and the decomposition rate after being absorbed into the body is fast.
In fresh sake, the alcohol is exposed, so the pungent smell of ethanol is strong and the taste is strong, and when it is an aged old sake, the water cluster (bonded lump) becomes smaller and the alcohol molecules are surrounded, so the alcohol is wrapped in water It is thought that it may be felt in the nose and tongue in a rare state, and the scent and taste will soften. In recent research, it is said that old sake has a lower amount of “active oxygen” produced in the body (from the story of Prof. Kiyoshi Yoshizawa, Tokyo University of Agriculture) and is attracting attention.

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World old sake

There is always a wonderful old liquor in the world where culture has developed
・ French cognac
It is a high-class brandy produced around Cognac in France, and is classified into VO, VSO, and VSOP grades depending on the degree of aging in barrels.
Spanish sherry
It is a very long-lived wine with an aging period of at least 3 years and sometimes longer than 100 years.
・ Portuguese port wine
A wine called “Portuguese jewelery” nurtured by tradition and aging. Those with years display are high-grade products, and four years of over 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and 40 years are stipulated.
・ Chinese Shaoxing
It is brewed from steamed glutinous rice and wheat koji, etc. In China, the products from Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province are called “Shaoxing”, and the others are called “Yong”

Laochiyu is a product that has been stored for a long time.

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What is snow room storage?

Niigata is a snowy country. There is snow storage as a traditional wisdom that has been used for a long time.
In the natural storage “snow room”, no electricity is used, so there is no change in temperature and humidity, no vibrations, etc., and because it is surrounded by snow, light shielding is maintained.
This is the optimal condition for aging alcohol. Compared to storage in the refrigerator, the mouthfeel is mellow.
Delicious liquor unique to Echigo's Miyuki.

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Old sake (Awamori and Japanese sake)

The difference between Awamori and Sake is in the manufacturing process. Sake is mainly classified as a “brewed sake” that ferments fruits and cereals by the action of yeast, and wine and beer are its friends.
Awamori is a type of “distilled liquor” obtained by further distilling brewed sake. There are vodka, tequila, whiskey and brandy, and Awamori is classified as a shochu companion. With the recent shochu boom, more and more people have come to think of Okinawa's Awamori when it comes to “old sake” of Okinawa's Awamori.

However, the old sake of Japanese sake seems to have existed at least long before Shochu, and in the old days it was crossed with Kamakura, Muromachi, and Edo, and old sakes of scarlet and Yamabuki were made. From this, it can be said that “old sake” actually means sake.

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