The "Devil's Mask" is a full-on "extremely dry" (it says so on the label) junmai yamahai sake by Akita Seishu's Kariho brewery, one of fewer than a handful who make a yamahai using solely airborne yeasts. In that context, this is surprisingly clean, perhaps because of how dry this is? An almost absurd SMV +17 (second highest I've ever had), backed with a dryness enhancing acidity of 1.7, all at only 15.5% abv (no added alcohol to bolster dryness).
Nose of shellac, salted unshelled peanuts, fermented plums, whole cream, green peas, lentils (hello Grüner Veltliner). Rich and expansive over the palate, but witheringly dry - gives it an almost astringent bitterness to it, the back of the tongue feels like it is just being squeezed, or pinched, or better yet, skewered, like the Murugan devotees during the Hindu festival of Thaipusam [I highly recommend googling some pictures of this].
The label recommends having this either chilled or warm, but I find it endlessly fascinating at room temperature. So dry!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Kariho Namahage [1 Koku - 53]
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteAs a Pennsylvanian living in Japan I enjoy reading your blog. I am curious how you get your hands on such a variety of different sake in the Philadelphia area. Is your source primarily sake you take home from trips to Japan, or have sent to you? Or are there good shops in/around Philly?
Thanks,
Rob
Hey Rob,
ReplyDeleteSadly, not much in the way of good shops in Philly, you are limited to what's available through PLCB - very few stores stock more than a couple of bottles, though there is one in Center City which carries maybe a dozen? You can special order though, something it seems that not many people take advantage of. Otherwise, I buy online from a few sources, as well as "over the bridge", and of course, whatever I can bring back from Japan.
Where in Japan are you, and if I may ask, how did you come across my site?
Hi V.,
ReplyDeleteThanks for responding. I am in Tokyo, and if I recall I originally came across your blog via searching sake/nihonshu on Google blog search. Or perhaps just Googling, checking to see what was out there. Your blog is one of the better ones in English IMO. I don't have much of a wine background myself (although Gary Vaynerchuk threatens to change that) but yours definitely seems to inform your descriptions.
As I suspected it's tough sledding for sake outside Japan. I have been here since '92 (save for a two-year stint in Chicago) and have a recurring nightmare about one day leaving Japan and having to settle for what's available in the States. Here it's an embarrassment of riches compared to what Chicago had to offer and, apparently, this hasn't changed yet for most places. I agree though that distribution seems to be improving over the last few years, so special or online ordering may be increasingly promising.
Rob
Rob, I reckon that it's actually my sake preferences that inform my wine tastes! Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. Really, I intended it as a personal journal, but glad to hear others find it interesting.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the sake situation is all that bad in the U.S., it certainly getting better, but you would be right about brick and mortar options - mostly it's poor, with the occasional surprise and less than a handful of dedicated sake shops. However, there are a number of online vendors with good selections. My "One Koku" project is an attempt to find and drink 100 isshobin of sake that are available in the U.S. (only a couple so far are available only at the source, everything else was purchased in the U.S., all but two purchased in shops) - I've managed nearly 50 isshobin this year so far, so that should give some idea of what is available.
I do plan eventually to make a summary of online options, will make a post on that.