Aramasa is a historic Sake brewery that is deeply intertwined with the history of sake-brewing in Japan, and whose survival and success today is nothing short of incredible - and is something that is a total blessing for Sake lovers today. If only it were more widely available.

The brewery was founded in 1852, during perhaps the most turbulent end of the Edo era, by one Uhee Sato. Today the brewery is helmed by Yusuke Sato, the 8th-generation Sato to run the family's brewery.

To understand how big a deal Aramasa is, it's worth travelling back in time to the mid 19th century to understand the Sake brewing scene then.

Western Japan was once thought of as the best place to brew Sakes, until Aramasa came along.

West Japan, Best Japan? Not If Aramasa Has Something To Say About It

During the time, the Kansai area of Japan (around the old capital of Kyoto, towards the central west of Japan) was the dominating force when it came to Sake brewing. The colder Tohoku region up north wasn't given all that much thought when it came to the public consciousness. This was the result of a great reverence for the water quality which was used to brew Sakes - the zeitgeist then was that using the highest quality water was the primary determinant of whether a Sake was going to be good. And as the areas of Nada and Fushimi were renowned for their water - these were where the most premier breweries were at.

5th-generation Sato who would change the Sake world forever.

Nevertheless the 5th-generation Sato had demonstrated remarkable talent at brewing Sake (and was classmates with Masataka Taketsuru, who would later go on to become the father of Japanese whisky, having had a hand in Yamazaki and would establish Nikka). With their stellar performances in technical school, their fellow classmates would say "Taketsuru in the West, Uhee in the East". The 5th-generation Sato would conduct much research into perfecting the family brewery's Sakes, and would find himself rewarded for his efforts, having caught a most precious lightning in the bottle - he would discover a very important yeast strain, which would later be known as Kyokai No. 6, or the Shinsei Yeast (named after Aramasa's brewery). This would be taken notice of when Sato's Sake had began to achieve great results at national Sake competitions.

Kyokai Yeasts, or Association Yeasts, are nationally distributed yeast strains selected from the best breweries.

The Yeast To Rule All Sake Yeasts

The Kyokai Yeast is a series of yeast that was collected by the government's National Brewing Research Institute from various outstanding breweries, and from there on distributed to other breweries so as to raise the overall standard of Sake brewing in Japan. This was a great honour for breweries that were selected, and thus a brewery must have offered great contributions to the enhancement of Sake making for it to be considered. This initiative by the government was seen as critically important as Sake standards then were lacking and overly uneven, which led to a poor consumer trust in an important industry of Japan. The government thus believed that it was necessary to offer shared resources for all Sake breweries to draw upon to raise their own standards, which in turn would stabilise employment and be a good source of tax revenue for the government.

This was momentous - beyond the sheer honour of having its yeast be nationally recognised, it was of great significance as it represented a shift in the seat of importance from Western Japan to the then undermined North. Where it was often said that the foundations of Sake brewing were established in Nara, refined in Kyoto and perfected in Nada; Aramasa had proven that Sake brewing could still be further enhanced, and that the North was just as worthy of its contributions.

Cold climate Sake brewing was essential in a time before modern refrigeration and pasteurisation. 

The Kyokai Yeast No. 6 from Aramasa was also of massive value to Sake brewing as it was also the first instance of a cold climate yeast - one that could complete fermentation efficiently even at incredibly low temperatures. This was crucial as at the time, technologies such as mechanical refrigeration and pasteurisation had not yet been introduced, and thus Sakes were highly vulnerable to spoilage. The ability to produce Sakes under cold conditions meant that the Sakes brewed could be purer and of higher quality. Kyokai Yeast No. 6 was debuted in 1935, and as an illustration of how popular the yeast was, all nationally distributed Kyokai Yeast No. 1 to No. 5 were halted and no longer cultivated.

Till this day, there are over 14 more strains of yeasts that have been nationally recognised since, and each one of them can be traced genetically to Kyokai Yeast No. 6 (with No. 6 having appeared naturally and thus having no semblance to No. 1 to 5), which held a rare and lengthy period of dominance for 8 years, up until the 1940's. Kyokai Yeast No. 6 from Aramasa remains as therefore the oldest commercially available Sake yeast that's still in use.

8th-generation Yusuke Sato certainly had much work on his hands.  

An Abrupt End To The High Times, This Time No. 8 To The Rescue

Whilst Aramasa certainly had its moments, the post War years would greatly challenge Aramasa, at numerous junctures almost forcing the illustrious brewery to completely shutter. Barely making it out alive of fires and numerous mishaps, the brewery would enter the turn of the millennium in not the best shape. 8th-generation Yusuke Sato - who ironically did not even grow up enjoying Sake - would find himself next in line to helm the brewery. Unlike most would-be brewers, he had opted to study English Literature instead, with the hopes of becoming a writer, but at the age of 31 would find himself offered a cup of craft Sake. This changed everything for Sato, challenging his preconceived notions of what Sake was and inspired him to rise to the task of taking over his family's brewery.

Under the 8th-generation Sato, the brewery would face a massive and incredibly tedious turnaround that pretty much saw the brewery reinvent itself. Sato had diagnosed that futushu (cheap table Sake) makers would face inevitable doom in the era after the Japanese government had removed a price floor on the category, which was causing breweries to engage in a price war. Well, as it turns out, Aramasa was primarily producing futushu at the time, and really had no cash to support and new initiatives. And so Sato had made the incredibly bold and difficult move to sell off all of the family's Sake stocks, with the goal of pursuing the brewing of original and high quality Sakes instead. This would culminate in a near decade and a half effort to turn around Aramasa.

Aramasa has regained its incredible esteem, and is today highly sought after.

A New Era For Aramasa

Sato would lead the charge to not just restoring but creating the highly regarded Aramasa as we know the brewery today. Gradually and in piecemeal, having very little resources to work off on, Sato begin to raise the capital needed by first ceasing producing table Sakes and instead producing junmaishu (Sakes with no alcohol added). Whilst junmaishu's are the lowest grade of pure rice Sakes, it was still a big step above table Sakes. From there, Sato began to slowly acquire quality Sake brewing equipment, gain experience in reviving traditional brewing techniques (such as kimoto), having also switched to using only local Akita Prefecture rice. He would also re-popularise the brewery's historic Kyokai Yeast No. 6 in a Sake series that has become incredibly popular today.

The daring and hard work of Sato has seen Aramasa completely change its fate, all through the pursuit of excellence.

Today, we're incredibly lucky to try one of each of Aramasa's various Sake series - the Private Lab series, the Colours series and of course, the No. 6 series!

Let's go!

Aramasa Private Lab Series Hinotori Kijoshu | 新政酒造貴醸酒陽乃鳥（ひのとり）第14世代 - Review

First up, we have the Hinotori Kijoshu from Aramasa's Private Lab Series. The Private Lab Series, is as the name suggests, the experimental line up from Aramasa, where the brewery intends to use unconventional Sake brewing methods to explore how it can express its Sakes. Each expression comes with an animal motif that is based off of Fengshui principles.

The Hinotori is brewed with alcohol instead of water at the final stages of fermentation, which has been a rather controversial method in Sake making as of late. Yet the method is actually one of Japan's oldest Sake brewing practices that was only revived as recently as 1973. Here Aramasa uses local Sakekomachi rice from Akita, where the Koji rice is polished to 55%, and the Sake rice (sakemai) is polished to 60%. This was brewed in wooden barrels, and is subsequently aged for 1 year in Mizunara barrels to enhance its flavours. As Aramasa sees the Kijoshu as a rebirth of Sake-making, the label features a phoenix that symbolises rebirth.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Clear

Aroma: Soft richness, it's elegant and bright, with gentle notes of incredibly ripe honeydew melons. There's a light minerality of spring water that accompanies the bouquet, with some light creamy yogurt in the background.

Taste: Good richness on the palate, where it takes on a more oily and savoury profile that balances out the sweetness of super ripe and juicy melons. It comes together to give melon slices capped with prosciutto. It has a very delightful thicker and more velvety body. There's also a hit of honey jelly, which continues the richness, and dense syrupy sweetness at the core.

Finish: The equal balance of savouriness and sweetness carries through to the finish, bright yet rich. Even beyond the finish, it continues to give honey jelly. Very elegant.

My Thoughts 

This had a very delightful richness with big flavours that were also elegant and very forward. At the same time it isn't overly intense, but rather expresses itself in a mellow fashion that leads into more depth. What was incredibly impressive was how it really evoked the taste of melons and prosciutto on the palate. As a Kijoshu (which are typically richer and sweeter, with a more bulky body), this stood out with its vibrance and balance - it's not overly sweet or all over the place, instead it showcased a good structure that was well-defined and almost precise with its details. It's less syrupy than other Kijoshu's I've had, and at the same time had bolder and more intense flavours (comparatively to other Kijoshu). The flavours here are bold and not shy, instead it's gentle and firm despite its supple richness. Incredibly elegant.

Aramasa No. 6 Series S-Type 2021 | 新政酒造 No.6 S-Type - Review

Next up we have Aramasa's acclaimed No. 6 Series, which of course pays homage to the brewery's historic contribution to the Sake world. Thus in the No. 6 Series, Aramasa hopes to express and enshrine the flavours created by the No. 6 yeast - that is, even if the No. 6 is longer the most popular Kyokai Yeast today. To deliver the purity of the flavour profile, the Sake is bottled unpasteurised (nama). Aramasa also states that with the No. 6 Series, the quality of rice is favoured, and thus various expressions tap on the varying varietals of local Akita rice.

Today we're trying the No. 6 Series S-Type, which is the middle profile (intermediate fullness and sharpness) of the Series' three expressions, and is said to be the most representative of the No. 6 Series. It is brewed with 45% polished Koji rice and 55% local Akita rice, in a temperature controlled tank.

Tasting Notes 

Colour: Clear

Aroma: Clean, bright and fresh scents of soft sheets of morning snow, along with a gentle sweetness of honeydew. Here the honeydew aromas are less syrupy and juicy, but instead more concentrated, refined, distinct and intense.

Taste: A good richness here, as well as being pretty mellow. There's a honeyed savouriness that comes through like teriyaki sauce. Some more melons to back that up. Medium-bodied here.

Finish: More savouriness which grows to become the dominant note on the finish, before receding into some light honey.

My Thoughts 

This was very impressive! It came across very distinct and detailed, and with a more chiselled and well-defined structure. It had a very well developed palate of sweet savouriness that carried through intensely along with the melons on the nose. It feels very lightly sweet and even comes across somewhat earthier and more autumnal, despite any particular flavours coming to mind. This stands out amongst other Sakes with just how vibrant and well-defined it is, as well as being incredibly expressive. At the same time it feels thoroughly balanced and clean - almost like a Japanese musical performance where you watch a instrumentalist pluck individual chords one at a time amidst a quiet and dark backdrop. There's so much focus here and it really allows you to pay full attention to the singular flavours that are presented so well.

Aramasa Colours Ecru 2021 | 新政酒造 純米酒 Ecruカラーズエクリュ - Review

Now finally we come to Aramasa's Colours Series, which focuses on showcasing the various local Akita rice varieties. Each expression features a single varietal of rice that is polished to an appropriate ratio as determined by the brewery, after which it is brewed in traditional wooden barrels, with Kyokai Yeast No. 6 used for this series as well. It is said that the Colours series can even be aged for greater effect.

Today we'll be trying the Aramasa Colours Ecru, which uses the Sake Komachi rice varietal, that has been polished to 60%, with the Koji rice polished to 55%. The rice here was polished using the flat rice polishing method.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Clear

Aroma: Opens to mellow notes of sweet rice mash, rice pudding, as well as a pronounced minerality of soft snow and spring water. Some light notes of melons waft about.

Taste: Really mellow here as well, with a good richness to the medium-bodied Sake. It's more savoury here, balanced against some honeyed sweetness. This is sweeter than the No. 6 of before, but is also less intense and detailed with not as well defined a structure. It's giving light teriyaki sauce.

Finish: Light dryness here, with more savouriness in store. Some more on soft snow and light touches of melons.

My Thoughts

The Ecru from the Colours Series felt alittle less impressive compared to the Private Lab Series and the No. 6 Series, which was fairly expected considering that this was an entry level Sake for Aramasa. Whilst it did showcase a good assortment of flavours and had a good richness to it, it also felt less vibrant and less well-defined and expressive. It's moderately sweet - somewhere between the Hinotori and the No. 6 S-Type - for also felt alittle more flabby and vague. It could definitely be given more tension and have its structure tightened up somewhat, with the flavours being raised in intensity. Here it feels really mellow but also flatter with less of a pronounced display of energy and vibrance.

A Last Word

It's worth pointing out that across the board the Aramasa Sakes were all very tasty and definitely a cut above most Sakes available.

The No. 6 was clearly the most impressive with a really spectacular vibrance, as well as being completely well-defined and elegantly expressive and refined. This was followed by the Private Lab series which was a really well made example of a Kijoshu, where here it was more vibrant, less sweet and also more intense in its flavours. That was undoubtedly a tough act for the Colours to follow, where it felt flatter, less vibrant and detailed.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot