Hatcho Miso

Miso is the everyday ingredient of Japanese cusine. A simple miso soup is a healthy way to start the day. Recently we had the opportunity to meet and speak with Mr. Nobutaro Asai, president of Hatcho Miso from the Hatcho district of Okazaki City in Aichi, Japan. Okazaki is also famous for being the birthplace of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, a reported fan of Hatcho Miso. He enjoyed it so much, he would have the miso sent to Edo and distributed to his followers.

Mr. Asai’s philosophy behind his products is to spend deliberate time and patience to create the highest quality miso. From start to finish, it takes two and a half years to create a batch of miso. Mr. Asai explained that although this seems like too long for most manufacturers, this is crucial to create the richest flavors. In addition, the only ingredients used are soy beans, salt, and water. No additives are used.

NA Sales 11th Annual Tradeshow

Thank you to everyone who attended our 11^th annual tradeshow! We had the biggest turnout this year and appreciate the support of everyone. This year, the event was held at the Westin San Francisco Airport hotel ballroom. There were, as always, an exciting amount of products on display for sample including sake and beer from Japan as well as locally from the states!

Bringing Together Sake and Wine

What do you think of when you hear the words “Japanese culture?” Perhaps sushi, maybe samurai warriors, or maybe even catchy pop music comes to mind. But what about the enigmatic sake? Sake is one of the defining cultural pieces of Japan, yet it hasn’t quite broken into the international mainstream compared to its western rival, wine.

Over the weekend, myself along with several other NA Sales staff members had the pleasure of attending  a “Sake 101” seminar from the Hakkaisan brand ambassador and Sake Samurai Tim Sullivan as well as Suguru Nakajima, a representative from the Hakkaisan brewery in Niigata, Japan, at the beautiful Silenus Vintners vineyards in Napa, California. Also in attendance were Scott Meadows of Silenus Vintners, Yuri Soshizaki of Napa Valley Wine Train, Bryan Avila of Napa Valley Wineworks, and Pam Harter of David Arthur Vineyards, to name a few. This convergence of eastern sake from Hakkaisan and western wine from Silenus Vintners was a beautiful contrast.

(Sake Samurai is a title given by the Japan Sake Brewers Association Junior Council to individuals who are dedicated to spreading knowledge about sake worldwide. Tim is no exception, and travels the globe to passionately speak about sake to both beginners and seasoned veterans in an easy to understand manner.)

天吹酒造~AMABUKI SHUZO

佐賀県から天吹酒造さんがいらっしゃってました～！
天吹酒造さんと言えば、花酵母などを使ったユニークでかつ美味しいお酒を沢山造ってらっしゃいます！
ユニークなお酒は沢山ありますが、かつ美味しい！ってのはそう無いんじゃなかろうか？と思います。
瓶やラベルも色とりどりで可愛らしく、品が良く、まさに次世代のお酒！って感じがしますが。

フルーティーな味わいの”いちご酵母”のお酒や、

すっきりとした味わいの”ひまわり酵母”のお酒や、

他にもお花酵母を使ったお酒が沢山あります。

でも、ちゃんと王道？の、大吟醸や、

山廃や、

ちょっと変わったところで、ドライロゼの”吟の紅衣（くれない）”と言う、ピンク色のお酒もあります。

瓶やラベルに統一性があって、何種類か一緒に並べて置くのも綺麗で良いですね。
是非試して見てくださいね～！

AMABUKI from SAGA prif.(Kyushu), Japan was in town on the other day.
They brews unique Sake with flower KOBO.
Their Sake is not only unique, but also delicious.
From the top;
*Unpasteurized Sake with Strawberry KOBO
*Unpasteurized Sake with Sun Flower KOBO
*Daiginjo
*Yamahai
*Rose style Sake

Try!

薩摩酒造 SATSUMA SHUZO

はい！
次々行きますよっ！
鹿児島県より、”白波焼酎”で有名な薩摩酒造さんがいらっしゃってました！
あまりにも”白波焼酎”が有名すぎて、他にも色々あるのをご存知の方は少ないんじゃ。。。？と思いますので、ここでご紹介。

まずは、王道、薩摩白波焼酎！（24度、25度、取り揃えてございますよ）

そして、コクのある　”黒白波”！

アルコール度数も高く、深みのある、”蔵出し原酒”！

打って変わって、アルコール度数が低めの、あっさりと可愛らしい、”さつま乙女”！

ね！？
こんなにバラエティーがあり、昔からの白波ファンはもちろん、新規白波ファンも大歓迎！
焼酎はちょっとアルコールが強くて。。。って人は、”さつま乙女”から始め、もっとガッシリお願い！ってハードコアなあなたは、”蔵出し原酒”など、い・か・が？

Now Satsuma Shuzo as known as "SHIRANAMI IMO SHOCHU" was in town from Kagoshima, Japan.
"Shiranami Imo Shochu" is already well known, but DID YOU KNOW that they have MORE?
Here is something you can get right away somewhere in US.

*SHIRANAMI IMO SHOCHU - original (24% or 25%)
*KURO SHIRANAMI IMO SHOCHU - using black Koji
*SATSUMA KURA DASHI GENSHU - 30% alcohol, big impact and depth of flavor
*SATSUMA OTOME - 20% alcohol, mild and gentle (compare to other SHIRANAMI)

If you haven't try them yet, TRY!

玉の光酒造 TAMA NO HIKARI SHUZO

どんどこどん！
次から次へと行きますよ！

京都より玉の光さんもいらっしゃってました！
今一度、どんなに素晴らしいお酒をお持ちが、ご紹介しましょう。

まずは、香高く、上品な喉越しの、玉の光純米大吟醸！
グリーンのすりガラスに金のラベルもゴージャスです。

打って変わって、これまた別の美味しさを堪能できる、特選！
根強い人気を誇ってます。

赤ワインドリンカーを熱狂させる、フルボディーだけど深みのある、純米吟醸山廃！

宜しくお願いしまーす！

Tama no Hikari Shuzo from Kyoto, Japan was in town,too.
Here is some of their great selections.
Each of Sake has their own personality, and you will find your favorite one.

*TAMA NO HIKARI JUNMAI DAI GINJO - nice Ginjo aroma, smooth and clean.
*TAMA NO HIKARI TOKUSEN - clean and crisp, great with meals.
*TAMANO JUNMAI GINJO YAMAHAI - full body, layers of flavor, very popular among red wine drinkers.

八海醸造 HAKKAI JOZO

ああ、時が経つのはなんて早いんでしょう！
実は。。。新潟県魚沼市より、八海山で有名な八海醸造さんがいらしてました！（すでに過去形）
八海山と言えば、品の良い、淡麗辛口のお酒で、王道中の王道ですよね！
今一度、飲んでみると、そんな中にも控えめだけどふんわりと優しい吟醸香が漂います。
うーん、美味しい！
食事に合う！
もう一度、試してみてはいかが？

八海山　純米吟醸。
ああ、やっぱり。。。とため息つきたくなるお酒です。

八海山　特別純米。
アメリカ市場の為に開発された一品。
価格もお手頃ですよ。

八海山　本醸造。
飲みつかれた時の休憩にどうぞ。。。って、知り合いの人は言ってました！

HAKKAI JOZO aka HAKKAISAN was in town on the other day!
There are so many new type of Sake here, but you will understand WHY they are still popular.
Clean & crisp, never tired of ... you can swim around, but you will come back to this Sake ... I would say.

*HAKKAISAN JUNMAI GINJO - clean & crisp with nice Ginjo aroma.
*HAKKAISAN TOKUBETSU JUNMAI - keep HAKKAISAN's clean & crisp, but a little bit milder, and great with meals.
*HAKKAISAN HONJOZO - take some rest with this,if you keep drinking ...