“Wakatakeya isn’t something we inherited from our ancestors, it’s something we are taking care of for our children” – Wakatakeya’s philosophy
“Wakatakeya isn’t something we inherited from our ancestors, it’s something we are taking care of for our children.”
This is the motto of the Hayashida family, a philosophy unchanged in the 320 years since the brewery’s establishment.
The brewery’s well epitomizes this ethos – let us explain.
The strata of the soil where the well is located is unique, influenced by the eruptions of Mt. Aso. Due to this geological structuring, water permeates into the soil at a remarkably slow rate of one meter per year, on its way to becoming the underground stream from which the well draws water, purifying it to an incredibly high level.
This beautiful water, purified over what feels like an eternity, is almost like a gift from the brewery’s ancestors; in turn, the current generation feels a duty to preserve and pass on this water for the generations who will follow them.
From generation to generation, the same philosophy has been passed on: “just as the sake we make today owes much to work carried out by previous generations over many years before us, we must understand that the way we make sake today will have an impact on how future generations make their sake.” The brewery seeks to make sake for the modern age, all while maintaining an enquiring mind towards the techniques and knowledge of the past, which, combined together, contribute to a richer sake culture.
En route to this final goal, the brewery also studies the symbiotic relationship between culinary culture and sake, looking to understand customs and traditions both practical and cultural, and with a sake brewing process that is at once immutable yet ever open to change, seeks to make sake that continues to build on Japan’s rich cultural heritage, at once carrying on old traditions while creating something new.
The concept behind Michikake
Michikake is a Japanese word which refers to the waxing and waning of the moon.
It is a sake made in the image of the moon, a mysterious presence which, night by night, gradually changes its appearance and is said to influence the bodies and minds of humans as it does so.
This is a sake wrapped in mystery, showing us different faces like the moon – approached without any prior information, the drinker might ask themselves, “what is this? Is it wine? Shochu? Perhaps a Sherry?”. At the same time, it is undeniably delicious, and somehow nostalgic, a deliciously expansive on the palate, perfect for enjoying at a leisurely pace. As you do so, its depth, and its different faces, begin to reveal themselves.
Michikake owes its name to this multifaceted flavor profiles, waxing and waning like the moon itself.
Making sake in Tanushimaru, a town blessed with natural resources
Tanushimaru is located to the west of the city of Kurume, in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Located in the middle section of the Chikugo River, the largest river in Kyushu, to the south and east it is encircled by the Minou Mountains, which seem to tower above the town. To the west stretches out the Chikugo Plain, and it is located on the fan that stretches out from the mountains to the east.
This fan is a geographical formation known as a compound alluvial fan, where multiple alluvial fans are layered upon one another. The earth from the river and grit from the mountain are intermixed, giving soil that is both fertile and well-draining.
The land is also enriched by the plentiful and clear underground water streams that flow down from the Minou Mountains, named as one of Japan’s Top 100 Water Sources. With large differences in temperature and altitude, it is also noted as being very well-suited for the planting of fruit trees and rice crops.
Tanushimaru was the first region to successfully cultivate Kyoho grapes, historically known for their difficulty to raise.
Good quality Yamada Nishiki has also recently been grown on the foothills of mountains at high elevations.
The Wakatakeya Brewery has been operating in Tanushimaru for over 300 years, blessed by its abundant resources.
The story of Saccharomyces Sake Yabe, Japan’s first sake yeast
In 2007, in keeping with their spirit of enquiry and interest in the history and traditions of sake brewing, Hayashida and Yokoo Toji decided to experiment with brewing with Saccharomyces Sake Yabe, the first ever yeast cultivated for sake production.
Today, there are only around ten breweries that still use this yeast, but at the time of its creation it had a pioneering influence. With very little data or information existing, the brewery wasn’t exactly sure what the outcome of their experiments would be – they were truly venturing into the unknown.
Following initial experiments, Yokoo Toji commented that the fermentation was very vigorous – bordering on riotous – and requiring a great deal of work to control.
The dense, thick foam that formed on the moromi during fermentation, generated by the extraordinarily vigorous fermentation, was a great departure from the low-foaming yeasts commonly used today.
In terms of flavor, the sake’s peculiar acidity and umami stands out, and the flavor profile differs greatly from the profile that scores high at many competitions.
However, Hayashida and Yokoo considered that unique flavor profile to be “brimming with life force in a way that can only be created by nature, not through cultivation – and what’s more, unabashedly delicious.”
The Hayashida family also operates a winery, which enabled them to evaluate the sake not only with the traditional “point subtraction system” often used to evaluate sake, but from the “addition system” of wine, where points are awarded for distinctiveness and uniqueness. Believing that sake too would soon come to be evaluated in the same way as wine, after their initial experiments they decided to press ahead with production.
As food culture continues to develop and evolve, sake made with this yeast that have become Wakatakeya’s flagship items.
Prizes and awards won by the Wakatakeya Brewery
Wakatakeya Nudy – Tokubetsu Junmai: awarded in 2020 at the Hong Kong Washu Awards
