A Drunken Heart speaks a Sober Mind. True Love is here to find
There are so many types of drunks in the world. Angry drunk, happy drunk, sad drunk, quiet drunk, brave drunk, stripper drunk (!?) … Apparently I am the sleepy, memory loss drunk. Whatever drunk you are, I always believe that a drunken heart speaks a sober mind.
Drunken… what?
SUI SHIN (酔 心) literally means drunken heart. What happens when the heart is, well, drunk? As if you are engrossed, enchanted, you just cannot help doing something.
A very famous Japanese painter Taikan Yokoyama (1868 – 1958) once said, "Both sake-brewing and painting are art". This gentleman has certainly won my respect as Suishin is the one and only sake brand he drank after THE "love at first sip". We tend to constantly look for better if not the best when it comes to relationship and sake. So I guess there must be something intriguing about Suishin.
The Background of Suishin
Suishin Yamane Honten Shuzo, a.k.a. Suishin, has a 150-year history of brewing sake. Their motto is to produce no boring, high quality sake that people can keep enjoying. They are proven no big-talkers by brewing first-class sake every year that have won so many awards: International Sake Challenge (Silver and Bronze), National New Sake Award (Gold), Hiroshima Regional Taxation Bureau Sake Division Award (Distinction) and "Great Japanese Sake Enjoyed in Wine Glass Award"(Gold)… Just to name a few! Excellent Sake needs an excellent sake brewer. Suishin's chief brewer, Terushige Hira has won many awards too!
The Rice
The sake-brewing rice used is the premium Yamadanishiki. It is polished down to 50% of its original volume. Together with Suishin's unique ginjo yeast, a top-notch pure rice sake awaits.
The water
Situated in the renowned sake town, Mihara city in Hiroshima, Suishin has the geographical advantage of utilizing the soft subterranean river water from Mt. Takanosu. Brewing sake with soft water requires exceptionally high skill and knowledge as the mineral content in soft water is so little that it is hard to react with the yeast. It also requires a long time for fermentation. But under this slow, low-temperature fermentation, the yeast produces a mesmerizing aroma.
After 5 years of blood, sweat and tears…
The premium pure rice sake is born finally. Thanks to the divine soft water, this junmai daiginjo has a delicate and refined body. Smells fruity, it has a nose of melon and a super clean palate with slightly sweet, rich flavour, then finishes with a dry crisp.
Food-pairing
Suishin makes a good accompaniment to dishes with stronger flavours, for instance, red-fleshed fish, mapo tofu (spicy minced pork and tofu in sichuan style) or salami. As this is "genshu", the undiluted, full strength sake, so it is better to serve over ice or with cold water. some of you may like to have a sip of the original and immerse in the full-on flavour.
"Fuji Reihou" by Taikan Yokoyama
image courtesy of Enchante
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At last, I have found you.
