Think that summer's not the season for sake? Think again. In fact, think penguin...
I love the idea behind Ice Breaker and I love that label too. But far more than that, I just love sipping it on a hot summer's evening — of which we have no shortage this year.
Unlike with other sake, the idea is that you pour it over ice. This is the blurb from the Tamagawa site:
Ice Breaker alleviates the heat and humidity of the Japanese summer, just as nihonshu breaks the ice in social situations. Deep-flavoured spicy unpasteurized genshu over ice is both refreshing and satisfying, and the intricate variations of flavour and aroma as the temperature and alcohol level shifts are endlessly fascinating. The sake world's first penguin!
Philip Harper, who is toji brewmaster at Tamagawa, tells me that every year they make more, and every year there's not enough to meet demand.
I can totally understand why.
And now (update 14th Aug) I'm down to my last drop from that rather large isshobin magnum. Luckily I have another small botttle in stock to see me through until the heat breaks — rather than when the ice breaks (or I do).
More about the Kinoshita Brewery (in English) here...
And Harper writes on his blog about Ice Breaker here…
