Suisen Brewery Destroyed
TOHOKU SAKE TASTING!
On March 11, 2011, a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the North Eastern coast of Japan. This earthquake caused catastrophic tsunami waves as high as 124 feet to sweep through and destroy much of the coastal cities and towns of the Tohoku region.
Many of the sake breweries in the Tohoku region were also damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. In some extreme cases entire breweries were destroyed or washed away like the the Suisen Brewery in Iwate prefecture.
It’s been more than a month since the disaster occurred, and donations keep pouring in from all over the world, including the United States and especially Hawaii. The Sake Shop has tried to do its small part to help as well, donating profits from a recent sake tasting along with collecting notes of encouragement to send up to some of the affected breweries.
However, a recent video posted by Nanbu Bijin’s Kosuke Kuji has moved us to schedule a last minute Tohoku tasting for this Saturday. In this video, Mr. Kuji does not ask us for more donations, but instead implores us to drink more Tohoku sake as a way to support the breweries that were impacted by the earthquake and tsunami (See story and video to the bottom right).
Mr. Kuji’s video plea along with video pleas from other Tohoku sake breweries really struck home with us. So although it was a very last minute decision, we’ve decided that doing a Tohoku sake tasting this weekend was the right thing to do.
So please join us this Saturday (04/23) as we sample five different sake from five different breweries in the Tohoku region. Since we’re hosting this event we will be sampling all day from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (or until we run out of sake). Please stop by and support the Tohoku region by drinking some of their sake and possibly purchasing a bottle as well.
Here’s the lineup for this Saturday.
IWATE PREFECTURE
Nanbu Bijin Tokubetsu Junmai
“Southern Beauty”
This sake is made from 100% locally grown Gin Otome rice. It has a lively fresh aroma with a clean flavor. It drinks smooth with flavors of melon and pear.
FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE
Okunomatsu Ginjo
The moment you taste this sake you will experience a refreshing ginjo flavor that spreads throughout your mouth and leaves a refreshing aftertaste. Ginjo sake is known for it’s complexity, depth and it’s balance of acidity and sweetness.
AKITA PREFECTURE
Yuki No Bosha Akita Komachi Daiginjo
Light and airy, this super premium daiginjo begins with flavors of white pepper that fade into dried apricot and citrus. The Akita Komachi rice used for this sake is milled down to an amazing 35% before brewing, producing an ultra smooth silky sake.
YAMAGATA PREFECTURE
Ohyama Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori
“Big Mountain Nigori”
We like this sake because it’s one of the few VERY DRY nigorizake that we stock. Like all nigori, this one has some unfermented rice particulates still in the bottle but is lighter than most. Fruity and creamy with a clean dry aftertaste.
YAMAGATA PREFECTURE
Dewazakura Dewasansan Nama Genshu
“Green Ridge Primal Strength”
This namazake is a favorite at the shop. Unpasteurized and undiluted, this sake starts big, followed by a pleasant tartness and then a brisk finish. It’s been “field tested” by many of our customers who all agree that it goes well with spicy food.
So please stop by the shop this Saturday to support the Tohoku region by drinking more of their sake. We’re sure you’ll taste something you like and as always the tasting is complimentary. See you then!
Kanpai,
Malcolm & Nadine Leong
The Sake Shop
TOHOKU COMPLIMENTARY
SAKE TASTING & SALE
Saturday, April 23, 2011
10:00 am to 7:30 pm
The Tohoku region of Japan is located in the Northern part of Honshu and includes the six prefectures of Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata. Literally meaning “North East” in Japanese, the Tohoku region is known for it’s mountains, beautiful countryside, hot springs and delicious sake!
Damage From Earthquake
Japan Sake Brewers Association Report
The following information is from a March 15, 2011 report on the status of the sake industry in Tohoku prefecture a few days after the earthquake and tsunami. It was reported by the Japan Sake Brewers’ Association and posted by John Gauntner on his website. Click here to see the original posting on John’s website.
Please note that things have greatly improved since the original posting of this information over a month ago.
Miyagi Prefecture
Out of about 28 sake breweries, the Miyagi Sake Brewers Association was able to get in touch with 18 by phone and 3 by another route. 7 breweries were not reachable.
Of the breweries with whom contact has been made, all the employees were OK. However some employees’ families suffered losses. Many brewing facilities were damaged with some breweries being completely destroyed.
In the city of Sendai in Miyagi, distribution lines were down so food is not even getting to people that need it, nor is fuel. Only one train line was working at the time of this report.
Iwate Prefecture
Out of 26 breweries, 11 breweries reported damage. The report did not specify human loss or injury, but one-third of the employees of the breweries have not been accounted for as of the date of this report. Damage to breweries includes kura buildings totally washed away, collapsed buildings, knocked-over and broken tanks, broken chimneys, and collapsed roofs.
Fukushima Prefecture
This is a large prefecture with 73 breweries. About 20 of them reported damage, breakage, complete destruction of facilities, cracks and damaged product. Aftershocks have made gathering information difficult.
The other prefectures in the Tohoku region, the northeast part of Japan, include Akita, Aomori and Yamagata have all reported only minor damage or injury from 19, 3 and 24 breweries respectively.
Click to See Video of Mr. Kosuke Kuji of Nanbu Bijin
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Mr. Kosuke Kuji of Nanbu Bijin has always been passionate about his sake. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting him on one of his trips to Hawaii to promote Nanbu Bijin. He is a really nice guy who truly enjoys making sake. Mr. Kuji and fellow Tohoku sake brewery owners and brewmasters recently posted video statements imploring us to drink more sake from Tohoku.
As Mr. Kuji explains it, right now is an inappropriate time for the people of Tohoku to be drinking sake (due to the recent disaster). What makes it even worse is that it’s currently cherry blossom season in Japan, which is normally when a lot of people drink sake. While all of the donations to Tohoku have been greatly appreciated, Mr. Kuji is anticipating the forthcoming economic impact that he and the other sake brewers will face due to the decline in sake consumption. Therefore he explains to us that the best way for us to support the sake breweries in the Tohoku region is by drinking more of their sake.
Drink more sake and help the Tohoku region at the same time?! It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.
