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研究醸造 Data15

Kenkyu Jozo Data15

研究醸造 Data15

Tsuchida — Tsuchida Shuzo, Gunma

An umami bomb packed with amino acids

Specifications

Type
Junmai Shu
Rice
Not disclosed
Rice polishing ratio
90%
Yeast
Mutenka
Alcohol
16%
Sake meter value
-4
Acidity
3.5

Official website

Flavor profile Jun-shu

Juku-shuJun-shuSo-shuKun-shu
RestrainedAromatic
RichLight

Jun-shu — rich and umami-driven

DrySweet
LightFull

A junmai at 90% polishing with an SMV of -4 and a very high amino acid level of 4.0 points to a dense, umami-rich, sweet-leaning profile with restrained aroma. The acidity of 3.5 and the described lightness keep the richness from feeling heavy.

Estimated by AI from the published specifications and the brewery's description; your impression may differ.

About

A bottle that draws out the umami of amino acids to the fullest, and poses a question to the industry. Sake-making textbooks and senior kurabito (brewery workers) have long taught us, 'Do not let amino acids come out.' Is sake with a high amino acid level really a failure? Is that truly so? The amino acid level is a guide to the richness and umami of sake. However, when it becomes too high, the sake develops off-flavors and astringency that make it hard to drink, which is why people say, 'Do not let amino acids come out.' The national average amino acid level for junmai sake is 1.43. Among daiginjo and the sake entered in kanpyokai (judged sake competitions), the majority are at 1.0 or below. This time, Kenkyu Jozo Data15 has an amino acid level of 4.0. Its lightness, which belies its richness, is the result of nearly succeeding in suppressing the death of yeast, the source of off-flavors. Sweet sake and sake with acidity, now commonplace, were all but unwelcome a generation or so ago. Sake with high amino acid levels is still rare today, but in five or ten years they may be routinely stocked at liquor shops. Kenkyu Jozo Data15 is a bottle that poses a question to the industry. It focuses on amino acids, which are both the umami and a defining characteristic of sake, and pursues them. This bottle made us wonder whether the essence of sake lies here.

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