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Kakurei Hiyaoroshi 鶴齢 ひやおろし
Autumn Release Tokubetsu-Junmai. Yamada-Nishiki 100%, rice polishing rate: 55%. Brewed last winter and aged during the summertime, all the elements have melded together into one harmonious body—this is the merit of maturation. It is suitable for both cold and warm temperatures.
Hiire (火入れ) = Pasteurization
Typically, sake undergoes a heating process (pasteurization) called "hiire" twice: once before ageing and once before released. Generally, sake that has been subjected to two hiire treatments has a mellow flavor and a smooth texture.
At sake breweries like Aoki Shuzō, which possess exceptionally high techniques, the process of hiire has evolved not only for long-term preservation but also as a technique to capture and encapsulate the fresh moments of the sake.
Hiyaoroshi ひやおろし(冷卸、冷や卸し) = Autumn Release
"Hiyaoroshi" is a sake brewed from winter to spring and then undergoes a single hiire treatment, allowing it to mature over the summer before being released. By skipping the second hiire, we can fully enjoy the fresh taste.
The origin of hiyaoroshi dates back to the Edo period. It is said that when autumn arrives and the temperature of the outside air drops to match the cellar temperature, sake is released (oroshi 卸し) in a state referred to as "hiya (冷や)," which means room temperature, leading to the term "hiyaoroshi."
In modern times, advancements in refrigeration technology have made it easy to enjoy namazake (unpasteurized sake, without hiire). However, hiyaoroshi, which is pasteurized only once and aged during summer, has been cherished as an autumn tradition since the Edo period to this day.
Autumn flavors that we want to enjoy with hiyaoroshi include sanma (Pacific saury), salmon, various mushrooms such as matsutake, simmered taro, and, above all, shinmai (new rice) in Japan. Hong Kong must have its own autumn flavors as well. Let’s discover unique ways to enjoy hiyaoroshi in Hong Kong.
Kakurei 鶴齢 - 300 years
Established in 1717 in an area with the heaviest snowfall in Niigata Japan, Aoki-shuzou has been brewing classy sake. Their Daiginjou is one of the top-ranked artisanal authentic sake in Japan, and their popular editions are most loved at home and at restaurant in Niigata as a premium brand.
Yukimuro (雪室):Snow Cellar
Today many breweries implement temperature control by refrigerator or air-conditioning for their cellar. But, those electric systems cannot provide stable temperature. The temperature goes up and goes down in cycles with noise and vibration.
Aoki-shuzou built "snow cellar" to store sake without electricity. This eco-drive snow cellar is an ideal facility for long-term and low temperature ageing. The cellar is kept at 5℃ throughout the year stably, then Kakurei is polished calmly and little by little without any stress, and unnecessary factors are shaved off from sake. Niigata is an area of heavy snowfall, and Aoki-shuzou cleverly utilizes this unlimited nature's bounty with free of charge, and feedback to the collaboration between nature and human, called sake.
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