This week we feature yet another product on display at FOODEX JAPAN 2025.
No, Shiraso is not handing out strawberries at their brewery, but they are located in Tochigi Prefecture, and they do have a nihon-shu with more then a tenuous connection to the fruit. As is usually the case with our reviews, a sensory evaluation of their product will come at the end of this entry. First, some basic facts about Tochigi and its sake.
Tochigi is a landlocked prefecture that draws more than its fair share of tourists, owing to must-see destinations like Nikko and Mashiko. This influx of rubberneckers has resulted in a sizable number of direct sales (i.e., sake sold at the brewery directly to the consumer, what is referred to in the wine trade as “cellar-door sales”). Some of these travelers are aware of the prefecture’s reputation for stellar strawberries, big, sweet, and succulent. If those strawberry lovers are lucky, they may run into Shiraso’s “strawberry” offering.
Sensory Evaluation: Tochiakane RED (とちあかね いちご酵母仕込みRED) is the color of pale rosé. The nose has lots of red fruit and some cotton candy. It is sweet on the palate with a good mouthfeel. There is a slight but stimulating and pleasant alcohol burn. The finish is medium +, and the ABV is 18%. Many drinkers will identify the red fruit as strawberries.
Astute readers—and let’s face it, all of our readers are astute—will be asking themselves, “How do strawberries find their way into a bottle of nihon-shu? Is this just an add-syrup-and-stir type of thing? Is this just the brewer’s pandering to the flavored-coffee crowd?” Rest assured: it is NOT! The strawberry notes are brought to us by special yeasts dispersed from strawberry flowers. We feel obligated to tip our hats to the good researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture for making the use of these yeasts possible.
We have written about yeasts in the recent past. The links are here: https://drinkingjapan.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3885&action=edit
https://drinkingjapan.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3894&action=edit
The link to Shiraso Brewery is here: https://www.shiraso.com/
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