The difficulty in choosing an aged alcoholic beverage that has been aged for many years, whether it be sake, wine, sherry, or rum, is that you cannot tell the quality of the alcoholic beverage until you drink it.
Has this sake been properly stored and is it still delicious? Is it too early or too late to drink it now?
It's no wonder that everyone is concerned about this.
In the wine world, a culture of expert tasting, criticism and evaluation has developed to solve this problem.
One of the reasons why aged sake, which has a long history, has remained limited to a select few enthusiasts is that there has been a lack of a culture of tasting, criticizing, and evaluating it.
For this reason, at Juku to Kan, we taste and evaluate aged sakes (with the understanding that some irregularities may occur) so that customers can choose their sake with confidence, and we also publish the results.
If you look at the Juku to Kan online store, you will see that most products have an introduction to the product and brewery, followed by comments by the tasters, including their real names.
In order to provide unbiased evaluations, three of the four official tasters are independent of the aged and warm tasters.
The two are former National Tax Agency liquor appraisers and food and sake pairing professionals. (The other is Ueno, the president and bar master of Juku to Kan and a director of the Aged Sake Association.)
As a result of tasting, all of the alcoholic beverages offered in our online store, brick-and-mortar stores and bars are of a certain level of quality and are delicious to drink now. (Any that is likely to reach even greater heights with further aging will be noted.)
Aged sake is a luxury item and has many attractive features, so we have chosen not to rate it on a perfect 100-point scale like the Parker Wine Guide.
However, for sake that the majority of tasters say "this is outstanding among its type" or "after drinking dozens of brands, this has a unique charm and left a strong impression," we have a three-glass award (three cups if it is suitable for warming). Some of you may have noticed this on the website.
This time, we will introduce only two brands of aged sake that were eligible for the 3 Glass Award out of the more than 70 types of sake tasted in 2023.
Sake suitable for warming
Okuharima Yamahai Hyogo Yumenishiki 55 years old (2020)
Most aged sake undergoes a process called "pasteurization" at the end of the brewing process, in which the temperature is raised and the activity of microorganisms is suppressed.
"Nama" sake, which does not undergo this process, is shipped refrigerated with the assumption that it will be consumed quickly and fresh.
Shimomura Sake Brewery in Hyogo Prefecture has matured this "nama" sake, creating a drink with a unique taste and aroma.
We recommend enjoying it warm, at 50-55 degrees.
◇ Okuharima Yamahai Hyogo Yumenishiki 55 years old (2020)
Price: 720ml 1,950 yen (tax included)
Assembly Type
Jukurogare Daiginjo 10 years or more
Shimazaki Sake Brewery has been aging Daiginjo sake for many years in caves in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, where the average temperature is around 10 degrees.
This drink is made by blending (assembly) multiple types of sake that have been aged for over 10 years, resulting in a complex yet mellow drink.
They offer a variety of blends, from younger ones to those that have been aged for a longer time, but this is the one that both the aged and warm tasters chose as their favourite, to be drunk slightly chilled and "now".
◇ Jukurogare Daiginjo aged 10 years or more Price: 720ml 8,800 yen (tax included)