Great ”sake” made by the underground water from Taisetsu Mountain
“Otokoyama, with a history of about 350 years, originates in Itami, which is famous for the sake breweries. It is located by Taisetsu Mountain which has snow throughout the year, creating clear underground water from which the traditional premium sake continues to be made. The abundant water is also used by locals. The high quality and abundance of this medium hard water, is essential for making sake. Originally Hokkaido, unlike Tohoku, was not a large player in the sake industry. The owner comments in reflection, ”In this area, the foundation for sake brewing didn’t exist. So we had to figure it out through trial and error from rice selection and ”koji”, building up our knowledge.”
Surprisingly, it is a little known fact that this area is a major mecca for ”shochu”. And in that kind of an environment, Otokoyama is a ”seishu” that has been passed on, possessing the sharpness in taste that can easily compete with ”shochu”. “
”Kimoto Junmaishu” made by ”toji” master brewer
Otokoyama studied under Nambu Toji from Iwate. ”Otokoyama Kimoto Junmai” is made using a traditional method, and uses carefully created ”kimoto”.
”The condition of ”kimoto” is different each year and is difficult to control beforehand. If it is right, then the flavor is rich and delicious.” What makes the difference in the end result is the human touch and intuition derived over many years of experience.
Currently 50% is consumed in Hokkaido, 30% outside of Hokkaido, and 20% overseas. After observing the fermentation technique, Nakata is inspired and commented ”It is close to the breweries in Europe. Perhaps it will be a good match for long term maturation.”
”Sake” varieties offering a wide range of different tastes
Around 170,000 people visit the Information Center from within Japan and abroad, to learn the history of Otokoyama. The ”sake” that is only available for purchase here is very popular, and we were allowed to taste some. We had a mouthful of ”seishu” made with ”kimoto” and the rich fragrant fills spreads in out mouth. Nakata commented, ”It is very refreshing.”
The ”tokubetsu junmai genshu – Gomenshu” which is made ”to retain some tartness” is a rare ”sake”. It is sharp and sweet, and ”is has a tartness similar to wine,” says an impressed Nakata. He enjoys the taste of ”honjozo shu” which is a limited sake that you can only buy on-site and commented, ”it’s very easy to drink without any sharpness in the throat.”
