Fuji Shuzou no Mizu: Junmai Daiginjyo

Continuing from my last post is yet another article about the marriage of good natural mineral water and nihonshu and how these two brewed together can make a delicious sake.   Today's mineral water and sake takes us back to West Japan again to Hiroshima this time, the largest prefecture in the Chugoku region.   It is here that the first nuclear weapon was denoted when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on mostly women and children  some sixty years ago. 

 

It is here that so much has happened, so much history, so much tragedy and so much pain and misery took place.   The people of Hiroshima rebuilt after such devastation and restored every tangible thing they could by every means necessary  including the nature and beauty of its forestry.  It's almost like when the late Showa Tenno said that Japan would rise again from the ashes of such devastation that Japan would become great again.  

 

I've always had a great respect for sake produced in this region of Japan.  Really full and earthy sake come from these parts of Chugoku.  I never expected it would have such delicious mineral water, though. 

 

A noticeable sake that has won numerous awards is called "Ryuse no Sake Junmai Daiginjo Black  Label. "   This isn't a new label, it's been around since 2007, nevertheless it still enjoys popularity amongst the older folk in many parts of Japan.  The flavor profiles for it were great:

 

Mild textured; dry; sake lees taste(sake kasu). 
clean and very dry.  A taste better suited for men.  No fruity nose.  Dry Dry Dry and with a great balance of acid.  Clean finish.

(Ryuse no Sake Junmai Daiginjo Black  Label)

I also found  amazing mineral water called "Ryuse no Shikomi Mizu" a type of water labeled as "chikasui" or underground tunnel water that was discovered a while ago, and that has been used to make some fantastic sake, namely the sake in the top picture, Ryuse no Shikomi.. 

 

 

Not only did I order this sake, but I ordered a 20 liter case  of the mineral water that was used to make this sake!  Takehara city, Hiroshima is where these two products came from.

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In my conclusion I found I both enjoyed the water and the sake.  The water is soft and very nice, which probably explains the incredible smoothness in the nihonshu. 

While writing this, I was listening to "Shape" by Sophie Hunger

The essay is a three part series on sake and water so if you missed out on a few article I highly recommend reading up here, here, and here for more in depth information on how mineral water effects sake.  And then if you're interested in just mineral water I recommend reading here.

 

Thanks for reading....