Can you notice the four bottles of Sake standing tall amid a host of Wine bottles? We conducted the first-ever Sake Blind Tasting in India amid a Blind Wine Tasting at Spiritz Selection Awards 2022, by India’s premier alcoholic beverages (alcobev) publication Spiritz magazine.
A nurtured idea
The idea of a Sake Blind Tasting germinated last year as I was discussing the nuts and bolts of the last year’s Blind Wine Tasting for Spiritz Magazine with their Editor Shalini Kumar. I have been conducting Spiritz Magazine’s beverage tastings, mainly wine, ever since their inception. With Sake Club India firmly in its saddle, I suggested to Shalini a Blind Tasting to pioneer the Sake streak in a competitive way. The credit goes to her that she remembered this suggestion, and we started off the competitive block of Sake this year sure-footed.
Setting sail despite the constraints
A limited number of Sakes are currently available in India due to a couple of regulatory issues. However, we decided to field a flight of Sakes in between the Blind Wine tasting, going with the traditional wisdom that “well begun is half done”. These Sakes were served to top-notch Sommeliers and other alcobev leaders who gave the debut a thumbs up!
As I write this piece, it is expected that the regulatory constraints being faced by Sake in India are on the verge of resolving. With that happening, we look forward to conducting a full-fledged Sake Blind Tasting from the next year onwards.
Sakes Served at the Spiritz Selection Tasting
- Hakushika Honjozo Yamamdanishiki.
- Hana Kizakura Junmai Ginjo.
- Hakutsuru Excellent Junmai.
- Manjyu Kubota Refined Junmai Daiginjo