A Sake that Traverses Time
Many people have probably seen or heard of kimoto or yamahai methods before. In the former method, koji and brewing water are added to steamed rice, which is then mashed—a process called yama-oroshi—and lactic acid bacteria proliferate, a key element of yeast starter (the source of moromi). The latter method eliminates the yama-oroshi step and increases lactic acid bacteria through koji dissolving the rice. These are traditional methods, while what has become normalized and popular in modern times is fast brewing, in which scientifically made, highly pure, artificial lactic acid is introduced.
Fast brewing is stable and very efficient. In contrast, kimoto and yamahai, established before modern times, are complicated and unstable brewing methods, as the process is up to nature and contingent on the environment because lactic acid bacteria are bred while also incorporating bacteria in the brewery.
It's a great thing to have a constant supply of sake that's preserved safely—a vital asset made possible by modern research. However, it can be said that now that the technology has been completely developed, fast brewing has become predictable. Many brewers feel this way and are trying to return to their origins. After all, seishu is a byproduct of microorganisms' activities.
Among the latest addition to the ESHIKOTO brand, the ESHIKOTO series, our pure rice daiginjo sake, was made by referencing the kimoto method. However, we incorporate a brand-new method rather than simply regressing to past processes. The mottos are "pursuing the evolved form of fermentation" and "a new style of brewing." While the ingredients are modern and the environment, with clean tools and air conditioning, is sanitary, we leave bacteria breeding in nature's hands. It's a method that traverses time, which can't be lumped into conventional categories.
Two types of brewer's rice are used. One is gohyakumangoku, a popular type of sake rice made in Fukui, characterized by its hardness and solidness. The sake made from it has a sharp taste. The other is sakahomare, a new variety from Fukui that was only recently registered in 2018. Unlike gohyakumangoku, which is wase rice that grows fast and is harvested in summer, sakahomare, which is okute rice, ripens in fall and is soft and juicy. Although the tastes differ, both are rooted in Fukui and are used the same way using the abovementioned methods.
Like ESHIKOTO AWA, the notion of eternity is endless, and brewing methods might differ completely a few years from now. We hope you'll enjoy this first step on a path that doesn't try to determine or lead to an answer.
