Tastings—Free or Paid—Benefit Consumers and Producers Alike

The idiom “a pig in a poke” has long fascinated us. For those unfamiliar with this expression, here are the facts: it is very old, still in use; and totally inscrutable, if one does not know the meaning of “poke.” Poke, in this case, is a sack. Why, you might ask, would anyone want to stuff a pig into a bag? Well, this is how certain European farmers transported them to market. Okay, okay, so what does this mean, anyway? Well, if the merchandise remains concealed, one cannot be certain of what one is actually buying.

We have observed that since COVID-19 fewer tastings and samples are being provided in shops and sake breweries. We have no statistics to back up this assertion, but we are fairly certain that we are correct. Recently, we made a trip to Aizuwakamatsu, a city in northern Japan that is well worth a visit for a number of reasons, first among which is the garden known as Oyakuen. As is our custom when we travel in Japan, we visited a local sake brewery, in this case, Tsurunoe, a pleasant place in a convenient location but a brewery that did not offer tastings. This was unfortunate indeed, because we purchased a nihon-shu based solely on a verbal description and information provided on the label. The experience proved to be disappointing.

Tsurunoe Junmai Namasake Kamenoo (鶴乃江 純米生酒 亀の尾) is an unpasteurized sake from Tsurunoe Shuzo (鶴乃江酒造).The abv is 16%, and the rice-polishing stat here is 65%. There is some vanilla on the nose, which is good of course. The sake is made using the Kamenoo strain of rice. The beverage has a bit of an alcohol burn, which is not bad of course. But the first sensation that hits the palate is one of incredible sweetness, sweetness without complexity. The sugariness fades very quickly and is replaced with a disconcerting bitterness, a flavor that we associate with coffee, not sake.

We will return now to the subject of tastings. Had the kura offered samples of their products, we most certainly would have avoided this one and quite possibly have opted for another, one that might have offered a more enjoyable experience. Tastings benefit both consumers and producers. Let’s make them universal, shall we?