Living up to its true character of being a collaborative Sake community with an international footprint, Sake Club India (SCI) recently conducted a Sake tasting and dinner in Kagawa, Japan.
The event was conducted on 22 March 2024 at Mikayla by the Sea, an upscale Italian restaurant in Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa prefecture. Joshua Kalinan, Master Sake Sommelier and Brand Ambassador SCI steered the tasting in which six different Sakes with diverse expressions were enjoyed by an eclectic gathering comprising 9 nationalities (Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, USA) from the Entrepreneurs Organization/ EO-APAC Bridge Chapter. The ensemble translated into an electrifying atmosphere of unbridled Sake fun and knowledge.
Takamatsu is a lively port town on Japan’s Shikoku island. The town serves as the gateway to many beautiful islands in the Seto Inland Sea.
How the tasting came about
It all started when the EO-APAC approached us (SCI) with the requirement of conducting a Sake tasting and paired dinner during their retreat program in Japan. The group had various engagements during the retreat, and a Sake evening was one of them.
The EO-APAC proposal enthused us beyond words. It was an invaluable opportunity to spread our wings beyond the realms of domestic tastings in India, that too in the land of Sake itself!
Given that the event required travelling overseas and arranging the right mix of Sakes available locally in Takamatsu, we decided to tap into our community’s resources to pull off the challenge while adhering to the budgetary constraints. Hence over the next few days, we sought inputs from our esteemed members located in Japan about their recommendations on locally available Sakes to be included, as well as qualified volunteers located near Kagawa to deliver the session as per SCI’s plan.
Advantage SCI: A reservoir of expertise
After due deliberations, we decided that it was best to fly in Joshua Kalinan one of our top expert members, from Singapore to conduct the event. Joshua reached Takamatsu three days prior to the event to make the necessary arrangements, which included visiting Sake breweries and retail shops in the region to select our repertoire of Sake. The idea was to include various expressions of Sake as under:
- A local Sake from Kagawa.
- A Namazake.
- A Sparkling Sake (preferably Awasake).
- One each Junmai and Ginjo.
- A Koshu (aged Sake).
- A Sake-based Umeshu.
Accordingly, the final lineup (listed in the served sequence) was:
- Ayakiku Junmai Sanuki
- Ayakiku Sparkling Awa sake
- Bijofu Junmai Ginjo Tama
- Kidoizumi AFS nature barrel aged 480days
- Chochin Shuzo Namazake
- Kirinzan Umeshu
In order to get more AWA sake as the retail shop did not have enough, I made a trip to Ayakiku Brewery which is one of Kagawa’s top 3 sake breweries. It took me more than 1/2 hour to travel to the sake brewery by taxi.
Joshua Kalinan, Master Sake Sommelier and Brand Ambassador Sake Club India
Ayakiku is also one of the four sake breweries in Kagawa that uses Sanuki (olive ) yeast to make sake that is highly fruity, refreshing and layered.
The CEO of the brewery was kind enough to take me around to the production areas, including their water source, even though they had already completed the brewery activities on that day.
It is noteworthy that some of our esteemed group members had recommended to not miss out on a “Sanuki Olive Yeast” Sake special to the Kagawa prefecture, particularly the Ayakiku Sake Brewery. The yeast was isolated consequent to a request from the Kagawa Prefecture Sake Brewery Association to make sake that is unique to Kagawa Prefecture. It was a painstaking project since the yeast found in olive berries does not produce alcohol, hence a lot of research went into formulating a version that could be used for Sake production.
The Tasting
The breathtaking ambience of Mikayla with its spacious interiors and the expansive view of the Seto Inland Sea made for a dream-worthy locale. Our gathering of 50-plus was easily accommodated within an ample playing ground for the Sake tasting and paired dinner which was served in a buffet format.
The tasting began with Joshua giving a short story about each of the sake breweries, emphasizing their uniqueness. The knowledge session grew into a no-holds-barred tasting where each guest was free to experiment with the pairings apart from what the sommelier had recommended.
The audience, already having experienced Kagami Biraki (ceremonial breaking open of a sake barrel) ceremony a day prior to the tasting, were very inquisitive about Sake and its cultural context. Starting from the basics such as Sake being a fermented or distilled beverage, or how different is it from wine etc, the queries went on towards the practical aspects of enjoying sake particularly when drawing parallels with wine.
We look forward to more such overseas sessions in the coming times.
Kampai!
