Dassai is often known as the "Rafi" of sake, because it is as popular in the sake market as the Rafi in previous years: the most well-known, not small in production, but still fanatically sought after to the point of being hard to find. Moreover, in terms of flavor and quality, the otter festival is also very high-end and high-quality like Rafi.
1. Otter Festival History: From the most failed to the most popular
"Otter" is homophonous with "tower" in Mandarin and homophonous with "brush" in Cantonese. The origin of "otter sacrifice" is from ancient Chinese texts, meaning otter catching fish. In addition, the otter festival is also a description of the "rain" of the solar terms. The Zhou Shu Shi Xun says: "On the day of the rain, the otter sacrifices the fish; on the last five days, the wild geese come; on the last five days, the grass and trees sprout." ”
The sake brewery "Asahi Sake Brewery", located in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, was built in 1770 and is now nearly 250 years old.
Before the otter festival gained a foothold in the high-end sake industry, it was often ridiculed by its sake peers.
Hiroshi Sakurai took over the family business in 1984 during a period of decline in sake in Japan, with consumption falling by 70 percent and more than 1,500 sake breweries closing down. There was little improvement in Sakurai's succession for a few years, and soon after the chief brewer resigned for fear of not receiving a salary. With no way out, Sakurai could only fight back and fight himself.
He resolutely stopped producing the decades-old "Asahi Fuji" ordinary sake, and instead purchased the high-grade rice Yamada Nishiki, brewed pure rice Daigin sake, and established another brand "Otter Festival" (because the location of the sake brewery was named "Otter Yue"). Since then, Yamaguchi brewery Asahi Shuzo has increased its production from about 126,000 liters to about 2,000,000 liters now, and all products are pure rice daigin.
In general, at a time when there was an annual closure of sake brewing, the increase in otter production could be regarded as a spectacle.
Especially when some distilleries or liquor distributors regard selling skills and "survival" as the goal of pursuit, Otter Festival pursues wine that is delicious and brings joy.
With this goal in mind, Otter Festival became a sake brewery with an average polished rice percentage of 41% and a sake brewed with more than 50% pure rice, becoming a sake brewery that continues to provide consumers with daily happy sake.
2. Otter Festival Status: The whole world is pouring over for me
Among the many Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo, Japan, otter festivals have a place. Recently, Otter Festival also opened otter festival izakaya in Ginza, Tokyo, further enhancing their high-end image.
In addition, the otter festival has also been designated by the German high-end car brand Desais-Benz as the official reception wine of Tokyo Fashion Week sponsored by it.
Almost every celebration or opening of an important flagship store, Uniqlo, an internationally renowned japanese clothing brand, buys otter festival sake to entertain guests.
Even the character of the last century Japanese god-level animation "Evangelion", Miri Katsugi, has also been drinking otter sacrifice many times in the anime.
However, it is Mr. Sakurai who is more admirable. When Mr. Sakurai took over the Otter Festival, he realized the huge potential of overseas markets and successfully brought the Otter Festival into the fine dining restaurants of Paris, London and New York. Moreover, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Oba President Ma drank otter sake at the White House dinner, which also added a layer of influence to the reputation of Otter Festival.
Yamaha, the world's largest producer of musical instruments, celebrated the release of its music software VOCALOID in the United States, and specially ordered a commemorative version of sake at Asahi Sake Brewery.
Even the five-star hotel in Chinese Taipei, the Regent Hotel, has specially purchased the remaining wine meal after the otter festival winemaking, and launched the "pure natural wine meal beauty" SPA treatment.
It can be seen that otter festivals are not only loved by the whole people in Japan, but also fascinated many people overseas.
3. The future path of otter sacrifice: whether to make a desperate bet or follow the trend
No matter how famous the otter festival is now, how well the overseas market has expanded, if it wants to spread in the sake industry, the otter festival must plan its future path.
In recent years, with the revival of raw rice and rice distilled with natural lactic acid bacteria, the quality of sake with low coherence between ordinary rice wine and polished rice has improved, and it is worth our research on how brands such as Otter Festival, which focus on brewing pure rice Daigin sake, go in the future.
Otter Festival is now building a new brewery, which means that Otter Festival's production will continue to increase. If you've ever seen a new distillery being built at otter festivals, you'll be surprised to think they're building apartment buildings.
Indeed, Mr. Sakurai does hope to increase production to five times in the next few years, that is, about 9,000,000 liters. However, this is a difficult task for otter festivals that only produce pure rice daigin.
Some people will ask, is it really the intention of the otter festival to bet all its treasure on the pure rice ginjo?
Some people say that in fact, the otter festival has long been done, and they think that the otter festival is likely to stop at the pure rice daigin.
However, Bai Kejun does not agree with these people's claims.
Because, although the Otter Festival only brews pure rice daigin sake, on this basis, it also produces some excellent sparkling sake, warm sake, and other foreign sake.
Perhaps sparkling wine is likely to become Mr. Sakurai's next expansion direction, because people increasingly like to think of Otter Festival as a sparkling winery with a unique style. However, if the otter festival really develops in this direction, then it also needs to work the quality of the sparkling wine, adding a little more vitality and luxury to the brand.
However, otter sacrifices should also realize that although many sake-made rice milling techniques are not as high as otter-sacrificial, many sake-made products do not have to be poor in quality, and the cost is only a small part of the otter-sacrifice.
Therefore, Otter Festivals can try to change their strategy of "only using pure rice daigin" and try to brew junmai, ginjo, or ordinary sake, which is not as expensive, and the goal of increasing the output to about 9,000,000 liters is understandable.
In general, sake, like wine and beer, is affected by changes in trends.
In the 1980s, people liked Chardonnay wines with a strong oak and milky flavor, but now people like Chardonnay, which is light and less flavorful, and rosé wine is no longer a wine that only women can drink.
Large breweries have finally entered the era dominated by craft beer, gradually adapting and adjusting the brewing and marketing of beer, and the rise and fall of India's Pale Ale (IPA) is a typical example.
In the sake world, it has only been more than 30 years since the ginjo was officially established, but people's love for sake in the style of yamaharu with a low degree of polished rice has made a comeback, and many sake brewers have had to adapt, and otter festivals will not be an exception.
Therefore, the otter priest must also ask himself:
When the momentum of low-polished rice step-by-step sake and the use of natural yeast is getting stronger, and with the return of traditional styles such as kimoto, yamahai, and bodaimoto, where does Otter Matsuri and his 16 rice mills go?
As more and more sake breweries become more and more environmentally conscious and develop towards organic and environmentally friendly, how should Otter Festivals face the non-renewable new sake bottles they use in large quantities?
When unfiltered natural sake is making a strong recovery, is Otter Festival's most advanced telecentric separation system going or staying?
These questions are very important because as interest in sake grows at home and abroad, people will begin to dig for better types of sake than pure rice daigin.
Bai Kejun believes that Otter Festival's pure rice ōgin will always have a place in the sake industry, but it remains to be seen whether it can maintain or guarantee the goal of five times the production. In addition, Bai Kejun also believes that Mr. Sakurai and his team will face the challenge and let the otter festival go further!
4. Otter sacrifice wine
Before introducing the sake, let's popularize the pure rice daigin for everyone. Pure rice daigin is rice brewed using rice that has been ground off more than 50% of the surface layer, that is, the step fit of the polished rice is less than 50%, and no edible alcohol is added.
Otter Matsuri grinds first pure rice daigin
Launched in 2012, Mozhixian is the highest-end sake of the Otter Festival and the most mysterious sake sake, because the Otter Festival refuses to penetrate the Polished Rice Step before the Grinding, indicating that its Polished Rice Step is the lowest since the beginning of the winery. Although the brewing method of The First Mill was kept secret, it did not affect its high-priced overseas sales, which shows how famous the otter festival is.
Otter Festival Far Heart Separation Two Cut Three Points Pure Rice Daigin Brew
Two cuts and three points, that is, the lowest step of polished rice, only 23%, this degree of polished rice once dominated the highest milling record in the sake industry, is the highest level of orc sake brewing, a whole Yamada nishiki only uses the most central, the most essence of 23%, brewing a delicate taste, but also japan's commercial production of refined ratio of Japanese sake. Dissociation refers to the separation of the liquor from the mash in a high-speed rotation with an alcohol content of 16% and a polished rice step of 23%. Cold drink this wine, will not feel any alcohol choking, fruit aroma more intense fruit aroma, the wine body is fuller, the aftertaste is longer and more powerful.
Otter Festival Far Heart Separation Three Cut Nine Points Pure Rice Daigin Brew
Three cuts of nine points mean that the step of polished rice is 39%. This wine is also separated using a telecentric separation system. Compared with the far-center separation of two and three points, the alcohol content is also 16%, but the far separation of three cuts and nine points of alcohol choking is relatively heavy.
20%30% of the Festival
This wine, also known as Otter Festival 23, indicates that the wine has a polished rice step of 23%. This wine is clear and translucent, elegant fruit aromas, cantaloupe, peach, pear, lychee, lime, grapefruit complex aromas, as well as dried mango and apricot-like taste, there is a little acidity and slight bitterness to make the wine more balanced, the afterglow is very long, the teeth and cheeks are fragrant, the end is still feeling a slight taste of alcohol, the best flavor after ice.
30% of the Festival
Otter Festival 39 is a sake with a 39% step of polished rice. Otter Festival 39 The body is clear and translucent, with more intense aromas of cantaloupe and melon, and a little green apple flavor, the entrance feels round and plump, soft and refreshing, and there is a little spicy feeling as a balance, and the choking taste of alcohol is looming, and it needs to be chilled.
Otter Festival 50 Pure Rice Daigin Brew
Otter Sacrifice 50, i.e. the outer layer of sake rice is ground off 50%, and the step of polished rice is 50%. This wine is clear and translucent, with a slight yellowish hue, with the aroma of melon fruit, and a little green apple flavor, the entrance feels round and plump, soft and refreshing, and there is a little spicy feeling as a balance, you can feel the choking taste of alcohol, the most suitable for the season in the summer ice cold drink.
20%30% of the Festival
Produced using an in-bottle secondary fermentation similar to "Champagne Hair", this wine is lathering, strong in taste, with moderate acidity and some sweetness, making it a near-perfect aperitif.
Otter Festival Warm Wine 50
This is a warm-drinking pure rice daisyō that is unique to otter festivals, and is suitable for drinking between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius. On the palate, it is a very impressive wine with rich fruit and dried fruit flavors.
Otter sacrifice test
The rice used in brewing is the rice that is broken during the grinding process of the raw material used to brew two or three points. This wine has a faint umami and fruity aroma and can be served with seafood.
Otter sacrifices and so on
Brewed with isowai rice, it is not a specific named sake. However, although it does not conform to the traditional policy of the Otter Festival to "only brew pure rice daisei", the rice used in its brewing is still ground to the standard of pure rice daigin.
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