- Eigashima Sake Brewery
- Access
- Reservation/Reception
- Tour begins
- Tasting
- 1st cup: Kamitaka Suimoto Preparation
- 2nd cup: Kamitaka Suimoto preparation unfiltered raw unprocessed sake
- 3rd cup: Japanese Spirit Suimoto Kanro
- 4th cup: Kamitaka Nakatori
- 5th cup: Kamitaka Daiginjo
- 6th Cup: Japanese Spirit AGED BY THE SEASIDE
- 7th cup: Eigashima QUARTET
- 8th Cup: Eigashima Bourbon Barrel 8 Years Old
- 9th cup: Eigashima Sherry Cask Finish
- 10th cup: Barrel-stored plum wine
- shop
- Impressions
Eigashima Sake Brewery
This time, when it comes to sake,Divine hawk”, in the case of whisky, “TestimonyA variety of alcoholic beverages are made mainly from ``Eigashima Sake Brewery”.
Access
The nearest station is Nishi-Eigashima Station on the Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line, and you can reach Eigashima Sake Brewery in about 10 minutes on foot.
You can get there by walking straight from the station, and there are signs so you won't get lost.
From Sannomiya, take the JR Tokaido Sanyo Main Line rapid train to Akashi in about 15 minutes, then transfer to the Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line and arrive at Nishi-Eigashima in about 15 minutes.
If you include walking and transfer time, you can arrive from Sannomiya in about 40 minutes.
There are quite a number of trains, so I think it's quite accessible among distilleries.
Reservation/Reception
Tours are held on limited dates and must be reserved in advance.
To check the dates and make reservations, please go toOfficial Website”, so be sure to make a reservation in advance before visiting.
The tour is free of charge.
To register, just enter the building and tell the staff your name at the time of reservation.
Tour begins
It was time to start the tour.
The tour includes a tour of a sake brewery and a whiskey distillery.
sake brewery
First, let's take a tour of the sake brewery.
museum
You can see a museum containing tools and other items used in the past to make sake.
It is said that Eigashima Sake Brewery was the first to make a one-sho bottle.
The current mainstream is the 4-go bottle, which is gradually being replaced by plastic bottles and paper cartons.
manufacturing
It seems that sake brewing will take place from mid-October to around February.
Nowadays, the wooden tools we saw earlier in the museum are considered hygienic and are manufactured using completely different modern machines.
Since it wasn't the sake brewing season, I couldn't see the brewery in operation, nor could I smell the aroma of the sake, so next time I'd like to visit during the sake brewing season.
Although the machinery used for manufacturing is different from that time, the building itself is said to be the same as it was back then.
Aging warehouse
Next is the long-awaited whiskey manufacturing process.
First is the aging warehouse.
The inside of the aging room had a grape and raisin-like scent.
The outside air temperature is 35℃ in summer and rarely drops below 0℃ in winter.
Although snow may sometimes fall, it only seems to accumulate once every 10 years.
Angel's share is said to be 3-5% for 450L size barrels, and about 8% for most.
Akashi has some interesting official cask releases like plum wine casks and sake casks.
The one that is still fresh in my memory is the Brazilian distilled liquor released by Shinanoya, which has a wide variety of barrels such as Casacha Cask.
There are currently 41 types of barrels, and they are aiming for 50 types.
The seaside is just around the corner, and Awaji Island can be seen in the distance.
Since it is located in the Seto Inland Sea, the waves are calm, so you hardly notice the scent of the sea except on windy days.
It certainly didn't smell like salt.
Distillery
Next, we move on to the whiskey manufacturing process, and the building itself was apparently built in 1984 during the local whiskey boom.
old pot still
The previously used pot stills are on display in front of the distillery.
This was used until 2019, and it is said that the quality of the original sake has gotten better since the exchange took place around 2019.
barley
Barley seems to be basically imported and used from overseas.
Since last year, some of the products have been manufactured using six-rowed barley from Kakogawa in Hyogo Prefecture.
crushing
Regarding the crushing process, the company itself was closed during Golden Week, so it was not in operation on that day.
Saccharification
Saccharification takes place at 64°C, followed by filtration.
It is said that 4700L of wort can be made from 1 ton of malt.
fermentation
The fermentation time is 5 days, which seems like a long time.
distillation
It seems that pot stills use indirect heating using steam.
You can see it up close and see it bubbling.
Tasting
After touring the manufacturing process, it's time for the long-awaited tasting.
The lineup includes sake, whiskey, and plum wine, and although there are some charges, most of them can be sampled for free.
1st cup: Kamitaka Suimoto Preparation
Image left
First, let's try some Japanese sake.
It's a rich type of sake, and I liked the taste.
2nd cup: Kamitaka Suimoto preparation unfiltered raw unprocessed sake
2nd from the left in the image above
I felt a fruity impression similar to raw sake, and a slight hint of wasabi.
3rd cup: Japanese Spirit Suimoto Kanro
3rd from the left in the image above
It was quite sweet, but there was a hint of wasabi in the aftertaste.
4th cup: Kamitaka Nakatori
Image left
I felt the nuance of banana.
5th cup: Kamitaka Daiginjo
Above image right
This cost 100 yen.
It had a rich ginjo aroma with hints of banana.
As expected, Daiginjo is delicious.
6th Cup: Japanese Spirit AGED BY THE SEASIDE
This sake is aged in oak barrels.
I felt the oak aroma firmly, and in the second half I felt the chocolate.
7th cup: Eigashima QUARTET
Red label on the right of the image
The fee was 300 yen.
From here on out, I'm going to drink some whisky.
It seemed quite spicy.
8th Cup: Eigashima Bourbon Barrel 8 Years Old
Yellow label on the left of the image
The fee was 300 yen.
The taste was quite strong, and I could clearly feel the elements of the bourbon barrel, such as vanilla.
I feel like there was some Pete as well.
9th cup: Eigashima Sherry Cask Finish
This is a blended whisky.
The sherry flavor was quite strong and gave an easy-to-understand impression.
10th cup: Barrel-stored plum wine
Image right
Lastly, I received plum wine.
You can feel the aroma of the barrel, and the impression is that the plum wine is full-bodied and has a hint of chocolate in the latter half.
shop
There is also a shop attached, so you can find something you like, and there are also bottles available exclusively at the distillery.
Now, let me introduce you to what I purchased this time.
Purchased item: Glass
When I visit a distillery, I try to buy one with the logo on it, so I bought one.
I think it's not for straight use, but for lock use.
Purchased item: Distillery limited bottle
I bought a distillery limited edition bottle.
It seems to be a blend of mainly sake aged for 5 years in Oloroso sherry barrels, and some unblended whiskey from bourbon barrels.
The size is 200ml, but I think it is quite affordable.
Impressions
While many distilleries allow photography but not videos, I was surprised at how generous they were in allowing videos and posting on social media.
You can tour a sake brewery and a whiskey distillery as a set, so I think the tour itself is very satisfying.
However, I felt that there were some aspects of both sake and whiskey that could be enjoyed only if you had some knowledge of the manufacturing process.
Personally, I've recently become addicted to Japanese sake, and of course I like whisky, so it was a great tour as I was able to enjoy both of my favorite things.
While Japanese whiskey has become popular, I honestly think Akashi is unpopular.
However, there are also some delicious releases, mainly private bottles.
Famous brands are often sold through lottery or competition, and you are forced to choose whether to buy or not before drinking.
Also, when asked if it was delicious, she replied, ``Is this the taste at this price? .”There are many cases where this is the case.
However, you can buy Akashi after drinking it, and I think the appeal is that there are many delicious releases.
I don't want to be able to buy it normally, but it is a brand that I would like you to pay attention to, especially distilled products and private bottles, starting in 2019.
The manufacturing process itself is the same for both sake brewery tours and whiskey distillery tours, but I think it's interesting that each company has its own characteristics and differences.
If you participate in a whiskey event or visit a distillery, I would be happy to introduce you to them again.
