Sougen of Ishikawa Prefecture

The way it's pronounced is SO-U-GEN. I chose this sake for tonights blog post because it's an established local favorite of Ishikawa prefecture. It is served cold and it's a daigenjyo, premium grade sake. Another solid point is that, and one that should be considered when trying nihonshu, is the rice being used to make it.

Rice lends subtle textures and certain unique regional characteristics to nihonshu that should never go unnoticed. The rice used to make this sake hails from Hyogo prefecture and it's called Yamadanishiki. Actually, yamadanishiki is not exclusively grown in this area, but in many different prefectures.

The reason why a brewer may have chosen to grow is own yamadanishiki in this part of Japan probably has more to do with the climate than anything, and because temperature does have an effect on the final product, thus the climate in the southern parts of Hyogo are moderate with little rain, while the cloudy and rainy north receives seasonal winds from Siberia in the wintertime and has a lot of snowfall.

Nihonshu that is produced in colder and drier climates yield lighter and more floral scents and aromas. Sougen is the kind of sake that embodies a lot of the flavor characteristics many professionals look for in a great sake. So if in doubt about what to recommend or drink then try this one.