April 25th, 2023

(Sake) Advice that Nobody Asked For. Join us in this new, semi-regular, series in which Joe offers mostly unsolicited advice and opinions about (sake.)

(Sake) Advice that Nobody Asked For: Is it all in my head?

We were recently graced by friend of the store and sake pro Monica Samuels for a tasting of seasonally released namazake (unpasteurized sake). We’ll get into namazake in depth another time I’m sure, but for today’s purposes all you need to know is that most of the sake sold in these united states is pasteurized. Because unpasteurized sake requires more care and knowledge in handling, transit, and sale it is harder to come by as a result. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty proud of State Line being the kind of store where you can find properly handled unpasteurized sake. I’d like to think that we’re the top namazake account in all of Cecil County.

But I digress.

The flavors ranged from fruity and herbal, to stony, salty, and savory. Quite an impressive array and a good batch of sake to be sure. I was especially impressed with the Takahiro Noble Arrow Tokubetsu Junmai which is a sake brewed by an enthusiast of Chablis that showed a remarkable contrast between confectionary lemon rind aromas and a stony dryness on the palate. Nor would I pass up the Ama no To Tokubetsu Junmai which had a salty, meaty nose, but on the palate was reminiscent of Alsatian Pinot Blanc (but of course different in its own right).

After the tasting I was talking with someone who expressed an interest in learning more about sake, but was admittedly unsure about his motivation. He said that despite never having the chance to go to Japan, he had liked Japanese culture for a long time. For him this brought to mind what I consider to be a rather self-aware and introspective thought about his motivation for wanting to learn about sake: do I like sake because it’s sake or do I like it because it’s Japanese?

Why not both?

As someone who has had the good fortune to spend time in Japan, study the language, and who appreciates a good sumo match I’m aware that I’m drawn to some things by the simple virtue of them being Japanese. I realize that I’m certainly more inclined than the average bear to like and want to promote sake or shochu, a traditional distilled Japanese spirit (mark your calendars for our Japanese shochu tasting on Saturday, May 13th).

My heart goes out to the importers and sales staff that have to go around and present shochu to the mostly uninitiated in the American market. Even with my known biases, I recognize that they can have some occasionally unexpected flavors.

One reason I think people drink certain kinds of alcohol is aspirational or inspired by nostalgia. The year spent backpacking in Europe that inspired a love of Beaujolais, a season working harvest in New Zealand that created earnest respect for Sauvignon Blanc, fond memories of an Italian grandfather drinking Chianti by the jug in south Philly. My grandmother had a fondness for Gibson Martinis, an enthusiasm that I’m happy to carry on.

Maybe overthinking our motivations for liking something is like explaining a joke, it doesn’t necessarily make it any funnier. Should you wonder if it is all in your head? Maybe, maybe not. A wise man once said, “Of course it is happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

-Joe Buchter, Sake Buyer