Aged Sake
This post is part of The Koji Club BINGO. Play the game to win a karaoke party and build your sake chops in the process. Learn more here.
The general rule for drinking sake is to “drink it fresh and drink it often.” Yet, like any good rule, it is meant to (sometimes) be broken.
To be sure, this is a rule best left for the head sake brewer, or Toji, to break. Why? Consider the descriptors often used to describe a glass of ginjo: soft, light, vibrant, fruity. These are not characteristics that benefit from a good long nap. When a brewer decides to age a sake, it is intentional, temperature-controlled, and with lots of TLC.
What is Aged Sake?
Koshu is the general term used for sake that has been aged for three or more years. Koshu makes up just 0.001% of total sake production in Japan.
How Sake is Aged
Only a handful of breweries age sake and each use wildly different methods to do so. Some age in tank, some in bottle. Some age at room temperature, others at freezing, such as the gorgeously plush Hakkaisan Yukimuro, a three-year snow-aged Junmai Daiginjo.
What Koshu Tastes Like
If the methods to produce koshu vary so widely, it is only natural that the flavors do, too. Time and temperature are important factors in determining the end result. I’ve tasted koshus that are simply rounder, smoother versions of more youthful ginjos and had others that are as deep, dark and nutty as an Oloroso sherry.
What to Pair Koshu With
Desserts, cheese and decadent foie gras generally pair well with the caramel-y, nutty, soy-flecked flavors of Koshu.
A Shade of Age: Taru Sake
Before sake was stored in tanks or bottles, it was stored in cedar casks. Today, there are certain sakes that are made and held in cedar casks to impart a strong, woody scent and flavor to the sake and act as a throwback to the past: taru sake. Chilled, the cedar flavors are understated and reserved; warmed up, taru sake may transport you to the depths of a cedar forest. Either temperature is delicious with grilled foods or smoked meats and fish.
Leave the Aging to the Experts
As a reminder, sake is not wine, and should not be cellared as such. Rather, when you come across aged sake, it is because the Toji is satisfied by the character that has developed over time and feels it is ready for consumption.
EARN YOUR BINGO STICKER
This post is part The Koji Club Bingo Game. To complete the Bingo square, follow the steps below:
Step 1. Join us at The Koji Club bar for a glass of koshu or taru sake.
Step 2. Present your BINGO card to the bartender for a sticker.
Step 3. If the square completes Bingo, post a picture of your winning Bingo card on Instagram with the hashtag #DrinkGoodSake and tag @the.koji.club. This is your entry to win a Karaoke Party at The Koji Club! Play as many times as you want entries. Winners will be drawn monthly.
EXTRA CREDIT: Post a picture of your sake with your own tasting notes (the wilder the better!) and the #DrinkGoodSake hashtag. Don’t forget to tag @The.Koji.Club to make sure we see it!