Sake Philosophies – Meet the New Line of Shirataki SEVEN Sakes
One of our favorite sake producers has taken a good thing and made it even better. You know them as Shirataki Sake Brewery from Niigata, Japan; makers of the very famous “Jozen” line of sakes, but say hello to their newest project that they launched last year at SAKE DAY 2024 – their line of SEVEN brand sake introduced here by Daijiro Hosaka, the coolest man in sake and join us in-store tomorrow FEBRUARY 8th to taste these amazing sakes for free – please see the Sake Events section below:
Why SEVEN? The Origin of the Name.
More than 160 years have passed since the company was founded. Shintaro Takahashi, the seventh president of Shirataki Shuzo, was appointed president at the age of 29. Mr. Shintaro Takahashi became president at the age of 29, and Mr. Takaki Matsumoto also in his 20s to the position of Toji (chief brewer), a position in which he is responsible for sake brewing. The efforts he put in to attain this position go without saying. He is also the seventh Toji of Shirataki Brewery, which is now in its 170th year of operation.
The name “SEVEN” is derived from the fact that this product is the product of both seventh-generation brewers. We wondered if we could use the crystal clear snow melt water of Echigo-Yuzawa to heal the people who pass by. Can we bring smiles and excitement with the sake we make?
The message card attached to each bottle of SEVEN depicts two male swallows spinning a nest with an ear of rice. Such a scene is depicted on the card. Two young and active seventh generations flap their wings together toward their dreams. We expressed their strength and kindness in helping each other. Of course, like the sake, the cards themselves are printed one by one on a vintage letterpress. The thread on the message card is made of the same indigo-dyed thread from Niigata, our home. Both are made by skilled craftsmen who share our concept.
The 50% and 60% are in bags, but these are not just any bags. We do not waste rice produced by farmers as much as possible. These are eco-friendly bags made of rice bran. They all shared our concept and they are also people who wish to bring happiness to the world through their work.
These special bottlings from Shirataki Sake Brewery commemorates the 7th generation of the family to lead the brewing tradition. They show the elegance and finesse of a highly polished sake – with pristine orchard fruits and spring flower tones, with snow-melt texture and a softly-dry finish.
Format: 720ml
Tasting Notes: Elegant aromas of ripe strawberries and Japanese pear abound, and the mouthfeel is silky, delicate and smooth. On the palate, enjoy lush sweetness and bright acidity of ripe stone fruit, the lingering flavors disappear gently to the end, just like a mouthful of light snow.
SMV: -8 | Seimaibuai: 25% | Alcohol 15.5% | Serve chilled 41-55 F | Rice: Koshi Tanrei | Yeast: K1801
Format 720ml
Aromatically forward notes of Rainier cherry, strawberry, watermelon and kiwi, are anchored with notes of creamy tapioca and honeysuckle. On the palate experience the rich flavors of stone fruit and baked apple, with lingering bright acidity, and a sense of mountain minerality.
SMV: 1.5 | Seimaibuai: 50% | Alcohol: 15.5% | Serv Chilled 41-55 F | Rice: Koshi Tanrei | Yeast: H13
Format 720ml
Brilliantly clear, this sake exudes tropical, intoxicating notes of melon, banana and lilac. Medium-bodied on the palate, with slightly chewy, mixed flavors of black plum, Japanese musk melon, banana and honey. This sake finishes long with an underlying vein of crisp minerality.
SMV: -2.5 | Seimaibuai: 60% | Alcohol: 15.5% | Serve chilled 41-55 F
Background of SEVEN Brand.
“Sake makes everyone smile.”
It is said that the most important thing when planning, making a new product is first and foremost the thought, “Why do you want to do it? Why do we want to create this sake and deliver it to our customers? We felt that we had to take this idea as the axis of everything we did.
Why do baseball boys continue to play baseball even though it is hard and they practice hard? Perhaps they have a “dream” of becoming like Otani-san, which is why they can continue to work hard. They can work hard because they want to win the championship. They want to be the best in Japan with this team. They want to become professionals and play in the world someday.
Whatever they are working on, I believe that they are able to work on it enthusiastically because they have a strong feeling and reason as to why they are doing it. However, if luck and ability are the same, I think the difference will be in the dedication and hard work.
The same goes for companies, products, and brands. If we adults, the companies we work for, brands, and products do not have strong reasons and feelings to be passionate about something like children do, it will be very difficult for us to work toward it every day. Even if a product is completed and launched, if we are unable to communicate to our customers what it is for, how it will help them, and what benefits it will bring to them, it will not be adopted, it will end up on the market, and one day it will be forgotten.
It has been more than 30 years since the launch of its signature product, Jozen. The company needs new products and was specifically considering selling more items under the SEVEN brand launched in 2018, but again, what is this brand? I would like to explain why and what we created it for and what we want to accomplish.
What is it about working in a brewery that makes you happy or gives you joy? I myself have thought about it over and over again, but I could not find an answer other than when someone smiles back at me through sake, as you can see in the picture, or when I receive words of joy or gratitude. Of course it is a joy to sell a product, but it is only after the smiles like the one in the picture are generated that we receive repeat orders or that we are linked to results in the form of company sales, profits, and salaries.
In addition to the 25% polished Junmai Daiginjo, we have added a 50% polished Junmai Daiginjo and a 60% Junmai Ginjo to the new lineup of the SEVEN brand. Simply producing delicious sake that is made with the highest quality ingredients and production methods, and then selling it in a glitzy design package at a high price to generate high profits is not the reason for producing this brand of sake, nor is it its raison d'être. Specifications and design are just tools to complement the ideas we want to achieve through the brand.
It may be exaggerated and embarrassing for us adults to talk about it, but it is to deliver “smiles and excitement” to our colleagues who work next to us, our customers and business partners, our family and friends, and to the world. This is the reason why we created this brand.
When you put a drink in your mouth, you will naturally smile, laugh with your family and friends, and have a wonderful time. It gives you the energy to resist the bad times, the sad times, the busyness, and the lack of fulfillment, and it makes you want to do your best again. I think it can even be inspiring at times.
I believe that there are things that only those of us who work in sake breweries can do to help everyone lead a rich life with a smile, and that we can also create smiles and inspiration through sake. This is the purpose of this brand's existence. This is the starting point from which we think about things, nurture them, and move management to create growth. This is the challenge I would like to take on.
The word “delicious” and the happy expression on a person's face when he or she puts something delicious in his or her mouth have great power. It is not only a simple expression of gratitude to the person who made it or served it, but also a chain reaction of gratitude to the many people present at the event. What is it? It can be interest, expectation, or empathy. It is the same with the deliciousness that comes from a bottle of sake and the expressions on people's faces. If working for such a moment is the reason, I am sure that every day will be more fulfilling than ever.
Alcohol is the chief medicine. Why drink sake?
The origin of this phrase is found in “Tsurezuregusa,” a collection of essays written by a man named Kenko Hoshi in the late Kamakura period (1185-1333). It is a very useful phrase, and numerous people have used it to affirm their drinking. However, there is more to this passage. It is said, “Though it is the best of all medicines, all illnesses are caused by alcohol. It clearly states that alcohol is the cause of many diseases. I am impressed by the way it is cut out, but it has been said that alcohol is bad for health for almost 1,000 years in Japan. But there is more to the story.
Translated into modern language, drinking alcohol with friends while admiring the beautiful scenery makes one's mind calm. I believe that the benefit of alcohol is to “enrich the connection between people. The smile on your lover's face may seem more endearing than usual, or the relationship with an acquaintance you have been wanting to get to know may be shortened at once. Sake provides us with a deeper connection with people than usual, which “fills our hearts and colors our lives.
In today's society, we are expected to be rational, but I have my doubts about a society that tries to be overly rational. For example, I am moved when I watch a movie, or am touched by a beautiful landscape, or feel a shiver of empathy when I hear a song by an artist I like. Such ups and downs of emotions and sensibilities are the real joy of living, and I believe they make life more dramatic.
Sake enriches these emotions and sensibilities and encourages the joy of sharing them with others. I think it is a wonderful experience that adds color to life.
Please enjoy our sake, our medicine, and our smile. And please understand that:
“This Seven series is like my family itself.
I actually have two daughters.
25% is my gentle wife.
50% is my eldest daughter who has grown up.
60% is my second daughter who is still mischievous.
This series will continue to change and grow, just like my family.
Please enjoy the taste that can only be experienced now.” – Takaki-Toji