Excellently dry
But with a burning passion for sake
Michisakari President Tetsuji Mizuno showing one of his premium dry sake brands.
In Kasahara in Tajimi, a town of full of tile making factories and related small industries, there is a sake brewery that has made a name for itself is the maker of super dry, food flavour enhancing Sake. It is operated by a most charming man, Mr. Tetsuji Mizuno. In many ways he comes through as a gentleman, dry, like his Sake, but witty. He speaks in a hasty way, as if he is in a hurry to convey all his thoughts. He rushes on, comes to a stop, hesitates, and than rushes off in a different direction. It's a challenge to not get lost for a non-native speaker like myself. Luckily, I taped the conversation and could spend a couple of days sorting it all out.
Most of all, one feels this man's burning passion for his life's work, the production of extraordinary, super dry Sake that brings out the best in food and in the beverage itself at the same time. It is supposed to be as easy to drink and non-intrusive as water, yet deliver a distinctive experience of the drink that has been enjoyed by the Japanese since ancient times. I thoroughly enjoy the company's "Excellent Dry" brand of Sake. Its taste and palate are delicate. Crisp, dry and smooth are the words that come to mind. The company's Junmai Daiginjo is, as the Tengu Sake web site reports, "particularly good with food at room temperature: creamy, cheesy or salty dishes are a great match, as is sushi. Served very cold it is an exceptional palate cleanser between mouthfuls of different flavours."
It is, in other words, a Sake for great culinary experiences. And Sake as a complement to food is indeed one of Mr. Mizuno's favourite topics.
Most of all, one feels this man's burning passion for his life's work, the production of extraordinary, super dry Sake that brings out the best in food and in the beverage itself at the same time. It is supposed to be as easy to drink and non-intrusive as water, yet deliver a distinctive experience of the drink that has been enjoyed by the Japanese since ancient times. I thoroughly enjoy the company's "Excellent Dry" brand of Sake. Its taste and palate are delicate. Crisp, dry and smooth are the words that come to mind. The company's Junmai Daiginjo is, as the Tengu Sake web site reports, "particularly good with food at room temperature: creamy, cheesy or salty dishes are a great match, as is sushi. Served very cold it is an exceptional palate cleanser between mouthfuls of different flavours."
It is, in other words, a Sake for great culinary experiences. And Sake as a complement to food is indeed one of Mr. Mizuno's favourite topics.
The Michisakari Brewery in Kasahara, Tajimi.
"I make dry sake that brings out the taste in food and improve your culinary experiences. Just like wine, Chinese Shaoxing wine, beer and many other alcoholic beverages, people developed it to bring out the best in the food they ate. So local food ingredients, traditions, and tastes are deeply ingrained in the art of sake brewing." Tetsuji Mizuno
President Mizuno began by explaining the historical background of sake, starting at prehistoric times. "Interestingly enough, the first alcoholic beverage the Japanese drank was apparently not Sake but wine made from yamabudou (mountain grapes). I believe that invention occurred sometimes in the Middle Jomon period [2500–1500 BCE]. The reason was that it was a quick and painless process to produce the wine. That is a major difference between alcoholic beverages made from fruit and those made from ingredients such as grain or rice. Making sake, in particular, is tremendously complicated. We know a whole lot about the historical development of sake from sources going all the way back to ancient times, such as the Engishiki." ["Procedures of the Engi Era", records mostly completed in 927 AD, outlining the laws and customs in Japan]."
Funatokkuri (sake bottle for use on ships). 16th century. Image courtesy of the Tajimi Minoyaki Museum.
While the procedures of sake production has grown increasingly complicated, the ingredients have basically remained the same since the beginning:
- Rice
- Water
- Koji mold and yeast
- (Optionally) Brewing alcohol
As other alcoholic beverages, Sake is created by fermentation. Yeast is used in a complicated process to convert sugar into alcohol.
Japan's first commercial enterprise?
"The starting point of the history of Japanese Sake as we know it today was when koji entered the stage," Mr. Mizuno explains. "People discovered that they could make koji by steaming the rice. When you do so fungi start to grow on the rice. This was all the way back in the Nara period [AD 710 to 794]. People drank the sake on the rocks, and it was very sweet. They had no idea of how to make dry sake in those days. Sake was only for a tiny, wealthy elite of aristocrats, and they basically drank every day in connections to various ceremonies. Virtually all of them suffered from diabetes because of the heavy consumption of sweet sake."
Illustration of ancient aristocrat observing a strange move by a frog. A possible case of hallucination due to alcohol intoxication? The Tajimi Tile Museum.
Sake-brewing is said to be one of Japan’s first commercial enterprise.
By the time we enter the long, peaceful and prosperous Edo era (1603-1868), when Edo (today known as Tokyo) grew into the largest city in Japan, and, indeed, of the whole world, Sake has become a full blown industry involving large numbers of workers.
Edo era Sake production. Images from blog by W. Blake Gray.
It was in the later part of this era that the Michisakari brewery came into existence. "My forefathers started to produce sake here in Tajimi," Mr. Mizuno explains in his hasty, meandering manner. "They began sometime around 1800 by using the rice harvested in their own fields, serving the needs of the local population. I am the 6th generation brewer here. We are blessed with good quality water, suitable for sake brewing." Water is indeed a very important ingredient. The rice absorbs the dissolves, and the more water it absorbs the better a sufficient flavour can presents itself. Better solubitility also makes it possible to make more rice, "and that is a good thing," Mr. Mizuno points out, "because then we can sell more." It seems he has no problem finding customers for his products.
so, what is good sake?
So by what standards to you categorize a particular brand of sake? "It's quite a tricky subject, to be honest," says Mizuno. There are a number of axis in the flavour matrix or profile, such as the the dry/sweet axis, in other words, the sugar content of the sake. Another important factor is the acidity, as is the umami substances content. Amino acid, for example, influences the umami, as well as peptides.
From this you can make a three dimensional flavour matrix, but there is a fourth axis I also think is important, which is alcohol content. So now you have a fourth dimensional matrix, and to further complicate things it's not only a matter of degree, for instance a high or low alcohol content, or high or low degree of umami substance content. Take acidity for example. Much of it's influence on the taste depends of what kinds of acids the sake contains. The same is true for fragrance - it all depends on what substances are in there. One factor can also influence another. The fragrance, for example, can have an impact on the taste in such a way that you experience it as sweet. When considering pairing sake with food the alcohol content is also very important. For instance, there is alcohol free beer these days. Do you think they taste good? No, I thought so. They taste awful! (laughing). And they don't go well with food. Alcohol helps bring out the taste in the food, in my opinion. I think, in fact, that sake pairs great with various food in large part because it has alcohol content."
From this you can make a three dimensional flavour matrix, but there is a fourth axis I also think is important, which is alcohol content. So now you have a fourth dimensional matrix, and to further complicate things it's not only a matter of degree, for instance a high or low alcohol content, or high or low degree of umami substance content. Take acidity for example. Much of it's influence on the taste depends of what kinds of acids the sake contains. The same is true for fragrance - it all depends on what substances are in there. One factor can also influence another. The fragrance, for example, can have an impact on the taste in such a way that you experience it as sweet. When considering pairing sake with food the alcohol content is also very important. For instance, there is alcohol free beer these days. Do you think they taste good? No, I thought so. They taste awful! (laughing). And they don't go well with food. Alcohol helps bring out the taste in the food, in my opinion. I think, in fact, that sake pairs great with various food in large part because it has alcohol content."
On the Net you find a lot of references to the Michisakari Junmai Ginjo and Daiginjo, which seems to be very well known and highly regarded. Mr. Mizuno did indeed choose to pose in our photograph at the top of this page with a bottle of Maximum Dry Junmai Daiginjo, a Sake that according to the company's brochure pairs well with a broad range of foods, from Japanese classic food with its finely nuance flavours to meat or even spicy foods.
Sake has few ingredients, and rice is of course a vital one. The seimai buai, however, is but one of many factors that influence the taste of the Sake. "Yeast, (Kobo in Japanese) plays a critical role in determining sake quality," says Mizuno. Yeast suitable for sake production was developed in the Edo era. In those days, sake was made using natural yeast. Over time people learned to extract yeast from the moromi (main mash) of a brewery that had produced good sake. Sake yeast (Seishu kobo), an anaerobic organism, is used to drive the fermentation necessary to make Sake alcoholic. Simply put, sugars are converted into alcohol when the yeast consumes the sugar. Like the barley in beer, rice contains no sugar, only starch which must first be converted to sugar. Like beer it requires a two-step conversion process, but these conversions do not take place one after the other but simultaneously, and in the same brewing tank. And, as Mr. Mizuno points out, it is not simply a matter of how much yeast is used, but what kinds. In modern Sake production, he explains, different kinds of yeasts are used to produce Sake of various qualities.
Sake has few ingredients, and rice is of course a vital one. The seimai buai, however, is but one of many factors that influence the taste of the Sake. "Yeast, (Kobo in Japanese) plays a critical role in determining sake quality," says Mizuno. Yeast suitable for sake production was developed in the Edo era. In those days, sake was made using natural yeast. Over time people learned to extract yeast from the moromi (main mash) of a brewery that had produced good sake. Sake yeast (Seishu kobo), an anaerobic organism, is used to drive the fermentation necessary to make Sake alcoholic. Simply put, sugars are converted into alcohol when the yeast consumes the sugar. Like the barley in beer, rice contains no sugar, only starch which must first be converted to sugar. Like beer it requires a two-step conversion process, but these conversions do not take place one after the other but simultaneously, and in the same brewing tank. And, as Mr. Mizuno points out, it is not simply a matter of how much yeast is used, but what kinds. In modern Sake production, he explains, different kinds of yeasts are used to produce Sake of various qualities.
Sake party, ca 1730. Metropolitan Museum, donated by Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Rogers Fund, 1949.
What about the rice, then? Shuzokotekimai, that is, rice particularly suitable for sake brewing, didn't become a part of sake brewing until the Meiji era, before that table rice was used. As the complete beginner Sake connoiseur that I am I naively believed that local producers stick to local raw material to set themselves apart. This turned out to be completely wrong. "Unlike a winery, where the local orchard - the chateau - is a vital part of the brand, sake brewers freely pick the ingredients from whatever producer meet their needs, including cost," Mr. Mizuno stresses. "Today the brewer carefully choose from rice brands specially grown for Sake production". Again, there are many aspects of the rice to consider. "One important aspect of the rice is how well it dissolves in water," says Mr. Mizuno. This year the rice absorbs water well and dissolves well, which means we can make more sake than usual and make more money."
"We use technology that helps reduce the necessary volume of rice in the production process, reducing the rice content in the Sake. This results in a dry Sake with a very fresh, pleasant taste. We use premium sake rice such as Miyama Nishiki from Akita Prefecture Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture" says Mizuno. The Yamada Nishiki has been called "the king of sake rice". "Sake produced from this rice is clean and lean, but not light in body", according to the Kurand magazine, "and [yet it] still manages to impart enough inherent ricey (cereal-like) notes, albeit in a tight manner and with a quieter nose."
"We use technology that helps reduce the necessary volume of rice in the production process, reducing the rice content in the Sake. This results in a dry Sake with a very fresh, pleasant taste. We use premium sake rice such as Miyama Nishiki from Akita Prefecture Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture" says Mizuno. The Yamada Nishiki has been called "the king of sake rice". "Sake produced from this rice is clean and lean, but not light in body", according to the Kurand magazine, "and [yet it] still manages to impart enough inherent ricey (cereal-like) notes, albeit in a tight manner and with a quieter nose."
The Michisakari Sake brewery in Kasahara, Tajimi, photographed during a tour of the facilities.
dry sake increasingly popular
By now you are most likely aware that Michisakari is a very high quality brand, but that also reduces the size of its market. About 80% of the sake drunk in Japan is non-premium futsushu – the equivalent of “table wine” - but Michisakari is trading to the premium market with its super dry brands. President Mizuno is keen to position his brand as one particularly suitable for food connoisseurs. A natural place to start, obviously, is to pair the Sake with classic Japanese food.
Eel, Tajimi style, can pair surprisingly well with a Michisakari dry Sake.
"I believe the most important aspect of Japanese food is the quality of its ingredients, Mr. Mizuno explains. "The chef strives to bring out the flavours of the ingredients, but it also has another important culinary role. Take eel kabayaki style as we cook it here in this region. It has a very rich flavour, and when you drink sake it helps cleanse the mouth so that you may keep enjoying the original flavour of the food mouthful by mouthful. Without it, the flavour builds up in your mouth as you eat and dulls the original taste sensation. And when you have another drink of sake, it too tastes better. But I think it's not possible to make a general statement of what food pairs best with what sake. Sometimes you want to eat something with rich flavours, like kabayaki eel, and sometimes something with a fresher taste, like ayu shioyaki [salted, grilled sweetfish] for example. Both of these are popular here in Tajimi. But you can't say that that you should always drink this or that Sake when eating a particular food. Different people have different preferences, and they also change over time. Depending on the situation, both these very different dishes can pair excellently with our dry sake."
Ayu, or Sweet Fish, a radically different culinary experience from eel, is still a good companion to Sake on the dinner table.
We asked Mr. Mizuno about his plans for the new line of "dry" Sake he is producing. How popular are they? "To be perfectly honest, they didn't sell well in Tokyo in the beginning. People there wanted richer tasting sake. We did better in Nagoya, which is a smaller market, of course. But it's all a matter of trends, and trends change. We market our sake as a beverage to go with food, and should be enjoyed as such, in reasonable quantities. We believe strongly in healthy consumption of alcohol.
This "Maximum Dry" Junmai has a rich and at the same time sharp taste. Price: 2,700 yen (USD 25) for the large bottle and 1,250 yen (USD 11) for the small.
I like dark guinomi - setoguro etc. Oribe is great too. It's a wonderful hobby. Match with the food, drink but no need to go expensive.
What about young consumers, then? Sake is an extremely traditional beverage in Japan, and all sorts of new products enter the market in a steady stream. Shochu has grown in popularity after the improvements in quality in modern times. In every convenience store or liquor shop there is a myriad of new products, including ready made cocktail beverages trading to young, female consumers. "Admittedly young people are a tricky market for us," says Mizuno. "We work hard to nurture a Sake tradition among them. We have many young visitors to our events, including women. We are working to educate them to enjoy Sake with food - this is very important. I personally drink every day, after work. Two go a day is a healthy amount for me (one go is 180 ml). I am in good health, no signs of bodily deterioration in examinations." Indeed, Mr. Mizuno is both slim and very energetic. To me he gives the impression of youth and vitality, of someone who enjoys life and a great passion to spread the culture of Sake to the young generation, as well as lovers of Japanese and other food around the world.
Michisakari is currently exporting to many foreign markets. In Europe, the UK is by far the biggest. Italy and Germany are also important markets. South-East Asia is another major market for the brand. So far nothing goes to my native Scandinavia. "I haven't managed to think that far yet," says Mizuno, who seemed shocked to learn that both Norway, Sweden, as well as Finland impose heavy restrictions on the sale of alcoholic beverages, and strong liquor can only be sold at state-run stores. I certainly hope Michisakari will one day find its way into those remote shops, because otherwise my fellow Scandinavians will be missing out on something.
Tetsuji Mizuno with his wife Keiko in front of their factory shop.
Contact information
from the product line-up
Michisakari Junmai (Daiginjo)
- Seimaibuai: 45%
Nihonshudo: +12
Acidity: 1.4
Amino Acidity: 0.0
Alcohol: 15.3%
Ingredients: Miyamanishiki Rice
Product introduction by Daiwa Food Online: "Michisakari Junmai is one of the most famous super dry Sake in Japan. If you are in Japan and are looking for a good dry sake that goes well with food, you will encounter this brand sooner or later. Michisakari Junmai is made from 45% polished Miyama nishiki rice. In general, if the rice is polished more than 50%, the sake should be categorized in Daiginjo / Junmai Daiginjo class, but this sake is labeled as a Junmai. Michisakari Shuzo is aiming to target this sake only to people who want to enjoy it during a meal on the side of dishes, to make food taste even better. Their policy is that Sake should not be the main item on a dinner table so they don't call this sake Junmai Daiginjo on purpose. They call this sake MIZUKUCHI, meaning the sake tastes like water. You can drink this sake like water. It is super clean, smooth, and does not have much fragrance. It has a super dry, crisp finish, with a strong mineral and savory flavour. If you truly want to enjoy sake and food matching, you should try this sake with pan fried salmon fillet with garlic butter sauce. Food matching: Salmon, Chicken, Vegetables."
