Drinking Sake

The first batch of Sake is in the bottle, so it's time for an update before the taste test. I racked the Sake into a 2-gallon glass dispenser and placed it in the fridge to cold crash. This was somewhat successful, in that a lot of the sediment did settle to the bottom, but the final product was still a little cloudy. Bottling cloudy wine is strictly taboo, but as Sake can be bottled clear or cloudy (the cloudy version being known as Nigori) I went ahead and bottled it as is. I expect a little more settling to take place over time but for the next batch I think I may employ a few more modern winemaking practices, like multiple rackings, clarifying, and stabilizing like my normal process just to help it clear and to see how it compares. I am also storing this in a wine fridge to keep it on the colder side for drinking, as my personal preference is cold Sake over warm. In keeping with traditional Sake making methods, I did a little research on the proper way to drink Sake, and I will attempt to honor that for the taste test. The traditional method for drinking Sake doesn't employ the first 3 of the time-honored Five S's of Wine Tasting (See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Savor) since the cups Sake is traditionally drank from solid ceramic or porcelain cups making the See part a little difficult, and swirling Sake is considered rude anyway. So before we pour from the tokkuri let's take a look at the result from the more modern perspective and go from there. As mentioned, for the See part the Sake was a little cloudy, but I'm ok with that for this batch. A little Swirl and Sniff revealed a pleasant aroma, slightly sweet with maybe a slight hint of cinnamon but with definite alcohol notes. Overall I'd give the clarity a C+ but the bouquet an A-.

Before we get to the Sip and Savor part, I thought a little primer on traditional Japanese Sake drinking would be appropriate, so here goes. This is based almost entirely on internet research, with a little assist from the local Japanese steakhouse.

When drinking Sake the traditional Japanese way, certain customs are observed. Drinking Sake with others is considered a form of communication and should be done politely.

Sake can be poured directly from the bottle but is traditionally poured from a carafe called a tokkuri and drank from a cup called an ochoko. The proper way to pour Sake is using both hands. Hold the tokkuri in your dominant hand with your palm down, supporting the bottom with your other hand. It is taboo to hold the tokkuri with your palm up, apparently criminals and prostitutes poured Sake that way, so you probably want to avoid being lumped in that company. Where wine is poured with the glass on the table, it is proper to pick up your ochoko to have Sake poured for you. Hold your ochoko in your dominant hand, supporting the bottom with your other hand. And always serve your elders first!

When pouring Sake into an ochoko, only fill the cup ¾ full, and slightly roll the tokkuri when finished pouring to avoid dripping. There is a type of Sake container that is made to purposefully overfill. A small glass is placed into a box called a masu, and the Sake is poured until is spills over into the box while it sits on the table. This is done to show the generosity of the host by pouring more than can fit inside the cup. To drink in this style, first take a couple of sips without lifting the glass or the masu, then lift the glass, wiping the bottom of the glass on a napkin before continuing to drink. When the glass is getting low, you can pour the Sake from the masu into the glass or drink straight from the masu.

Sake can be enjoyed chilled (reishu), warmed (okan), or room temperature (hiya), mostly as personal preference. Some Sakes are made to drink at certain temperatures to bring out different flavor profiles. Don’t get too caught up in the details though, just default to Kyle’s first rule of wine tasting, and drink it however you like it. One caveat though, do not swirl your Sake in either the tokkuri or the ochoko, this is considered disrespectful as it can change the temperature the host intended the Sake to be served at. Also, when toasting with Sake, it is proper to clink your ochoko lower than the other person’s as a sign of respect. Always take a small sip after a toast before placing your ochoko back on the table.

With the how-to behind me, it was time to get to the Sip and Savor. After pouring some Sake into the tokkuri, as authentically as possible I poured myself a nice ochoko. Of course I served myself first, partly because I was the elder, but mostly because I was the only one in the room. In order to pour with two hands I did leave the ochoko on the table, but took care to keep the pour to around 3/4 of the cup and to rotate the tokkuri to keep from dripping. After sipping and savoring several servings, I was a little disappointed that the taste did not really deliver on the promise made by the aroma. It did not have as strong of an alcohol taste as I expected, but the flavor was more muted than I was hoping for, and the finish was a little thin. I will say it grew on me a bit after the first few servings, but honestly I was still really not overly impressed. Traditionally Sake is consumed fairly fresh, more like beer than wine, but aged Sake is gaining in popularity, so maybe a little time in the bottle will help this one gain a bit of ground. I wish I had an accurate way to measure the alcohol content, originally I expected it to be fairly high, maybe 15-18%, but by taste it seems more like 10% or so. Just to see how it affected the taste, I did warm a cup to taste it hot, and it actually had a better flavor that way, so there was that, though I still prefer my Sake chilled. On the whole, it was a fair to moderate success taste-wise, which is the only real measure of any wine that counts, but there is definite room for improvement.

So to wrap this post up, I would say in a literal sense I succeeded in making Sake, but as several of my first-time efforts go, this one could use a little bit of work. I'm pleased in the method, marginally happy with the end result, and sufficiently intrigued to give it another go. I am certain with a little practice (and of course some recipe tweaking!) I can improve on my rookie attempt. I may never produce a great Sake, but I'm game for making the effort. After all, Sake has been made at least since the Nara period (710–794), so Japanese Sake makers have a 1300 year head start!