Shall we take this outside? No, we’re not picking a fight with you. This highly anticipated limited-edition sake has been created to be enjoyed in the great outdoors. But with only a handful of bottles of the 2021 expression of Kubota Seppou Black available, fisticuffs may become necessary if you wish to secure one… This rare sake is a collaboration between two Niigata-based brands; the iconic Asahi Brewery and Snow Peak, a world-renowned outdoor specialist who promotes a nature-oriented lifestyle. Niigata is a mountainous prefecture in Japan, full of rivers and valleys, and home to Mount Tanigawa. So, the locals need a sake that can be enjoyed in the wild, paired with foraged foods, picnics, barbeques and sushi and sashimi eaten on the go. Initially gentle and refreshing when chilled – displaying notes of melon, steamed rice, yuzu sourness, wildflowers and sweet grapes reminiscent of Moscato d’Asti – Kubota Seppou Black’s depth of flavour grows as it approaches room temperature. Everything is perfectly in harmony, like nature itself. Kubota Seppou Black is crafted entirely using locally grown Niigata rice. To start the process, the koji is combined with Gohyakumangoku rice (a variety famed for its clean taste and refreshing taste), which is polished to a ratio of 50%, meaning that half of each rice grain has been carefully whittled away. This is a Yamahai sake – the name referring to the way the yeast starter is made. Most sake uses commercially available lactic acid and cultivated yeast, which are mashed and mixed into the starter (shubo). This process is quick and easy to regulate and replicate. The Yamahai technique, however, allows the yeast and lactic bacteria that live in the brewery and the air to drive the process naturally. It takes much longer, but is revered for its additional acidity, sweetness, sense of terroir and wild gamey flavour. The mash for Kubota Seppou Black is even more highly polished than for the starter, achieving a polishing ratio of 33%, i.e. 67% of the rice grains are gently rubbed away. The designation Junmai Daiginjo lets you know that this is the finest sake made with the most highly polished rice. And all that’s before you even get to that stunning black bottle, which is so rock ‘n’ roll that it looks like sake’s equivalent to Metallica’s fifth studio album. Considering the ethos behind Kubota Seppou Black, maybe it should be enjoyed while listening to “Wherever I May Roam”?
£15.8 per 100.00ml
