How to read a Juyondai’s label?

十四代背標

It turns out they have these meanings!

When choosing sake, you can see that in addition to the information that are marked such as, name, alcohol content, etc., sometimes there are other names on the sake label. These signs help you to predict whether the bottle of sake is the taste you wanted, and improve the chances of getting a good product!

There are a lot of information on the sake label in Juyondai. However, these data are very important to us. Under the circumstances that Juyondai are generally difficult to obtain, it becomes important that we buy the bottle that suits us. Today, we will show you the names you might not understand behind the label.

Kakushin 新角

The “Kakushin” 新角 series is naturally popular as it is many people’s first exposure with Juyondai. The “Kakushin 新角” refers to the limited sakes that are released from December to February every year, that is unique with its freshness and strong foaming fruity aroma. It is a fine sake that surpasses the general realm.

生詰:

Sake is pressed in the upper tank, it is heated and sterilized before storage only.

In this way, the refreshing feeling of some raw material will be maintained. To keep the sake at best condition, store it between 5 degree or below.

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Groove Vertical 槽垂れ

It means to put unfiltered sake into a bag with fine holes, and then lay it flat in the tank, and squeeze it vertically with a wooden board from top to bottom to obtain sake. Compared with ordinary mechanized pressing, the liquor obtained by “groove vertical れ” is more gentle and balanced, but this process is quite complicated and labour-intensive, requiring strict time control to avoid excessive oxidation.

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無走り

After the fermentation, the brewery squeezes the mash (mixture of rice, yeast, etc.), and divides the resulting liquor into the first stage “無走り”, the middle stage “中取り”, and the latter stage “貢め”. The appearance of “荒走り” is slightly suspended and turbid. The aroma is splendid, and the taste is slightly rough, clean and fresh.

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Nakatakeri 中取り

Among them, the liquor with “Nakatakeri” has the clearest colour, the mildest aroma, fullness and stability, and the body performance can be said to be of excellent quality.

Non Filtered/No Filtration 無濾過

“Non-filtered” 無濾過 refers to the sake that has not been filtered with “active carbon” for pigments and more flavours, and is not a sake that has no filterless dregs. The aroma and taste are more layered, and the original colour and flavour are more preserved compared with the general filtered sake.

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滓絡み (おりがらみ)

In the process of separating the sake from the dregs, the content of the dregs is increased, and the liquor contains a small amount of the dregs. The slightly turbid Japanese sake is called “Takuluo”.