HOW JAPANESE IS SAKE?
world. This seems outrageous, and is certainly
something that most Japanese brewers want to
see changed. Whiskey distilled in Japan is not
called ‘Scotch’, after all. This dilemma over what
to call a product uprooted from its origin is not
new. Governments routinely negotiate with
each other in order to protect the name
of their country’s produce. The use of
the word ‘Champagne’ is probably
the most famous example, as it
was used on just about every
sparkling wine around the
world until the French
government finally
managed to agree
terms protecting and
limiting use of the
name. Nihonshu,
however, has been
exported in such
tiny quantities
in the past, that
protection of
name must have
seemed a minor
issue. That is
changing, at last,
and protected
naming will likely
happen in the next
few years.
The act of drinking sake
has also changed in recent
decades. Traditional Japanese
sake cups (choko) and flasks (tokkuri)
are still used, but wine glasses have
become a very common sight when sake
is served. Partly this is due to the changing
nature of sake over the last 50 years. The ‘Ginjo
boom’ made aromatic sake popular, and led people
to drink their sake chilled. It’s much easier to
release the beautiful Ginjo aromas by swirling
sake in a large wineglass than when sipping from
a tiny cup. Drinking fine Ginjo and Daiginjo sake
is thus quite like drinking a fine wine. For many
people, however, drinking from traditional sake
wares is hugely enjoyable, and an integral part of
the sake experience. The courtesy of pouring for
each other is magnified by the frequent need to
top up, and this reinforces the etiquette of drinking
sake. For non-Japanese, this is fascinating, and
feels like an authentic Japanese experience. But
is that still true? Sake in a wine glass may not feel
particularly Japanese, but the wine glass habit is as
entrenched in Japan as it is elsewhere.
Even less Japanese is the use of sake in cocktails. In
many western countries, cocktail bartenders have
been early adopters of sake, using it to create new
cocktails, perhaps capitalising on the fashion for
all things Asian. Does the ‘Japaneseness’ of sake
survive the cocktail shaker? It depends: sometimes
the mixologist has made a conscious effort to
create a cocktail that is Japanese themed, at least,
with a Japanese-sounding name, and evocative
ingredients such as yuzu juice, Japanese whiskey
or even cherry-blossoms. Other times, sake is just
a ‘cool’ ingredient. Neither style is authentic in
purely traditional terms of drinking sake.
So does any of this matter? Is sake uniquely a drink
of place? Or is it a modern beverage, evocative of
Japan, perhaps, but produced globally, and used as
creatively as any other drink? Perhaps this depends
on the drinker, him or herself. The Japanese
heritage of sake – Nihonshu – is extraordinary,
even in a world where most brands of alcohol
are designed to tell a story. Anyone who chooses
to take notice will be struck by how deeply sake
is lodged in Japanese history, how firmly it is
embedded in the calendar of special days and
festivals, how essential it is to any celebration or
auspicious moment, how fundamentally, indeed,
it is part of Japanese culture.
MUSEUM OF SAKE JOURNAL 19