Saké Not Another Name for ‘Rocket Fuel’

Editor’s note: Seattle is blessed in many ways, and Johnnie and Taiko Stroud decided last summer to bestow one more blessing on the city: The country’s first premium saké shop and tasting bar, Saké Nomi, tucked down an attractive side street in Pioneer Square.

Just peek in the window of the shop and you’ll immediately notice that this couple has gone all out in their bid to raise the profile of saké in America’s northwest corner. A large plasma screen plays videos describing the complex saké-making process; a ladder has been creatively turned into a display area where bottles of saké share space with Japanese ceramics; and the retail section tantalizes with large, colorful bottles of saké, which you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Step to the tasting bar, and Johnnie or Taiko will guide you through a few sakés that give a glimpse of the amazing range of the drink. We’re guessing that Johnnie and Taiko have already converted their share of Seattleites to the delights of saké.

The following article is a version of a flyer hanging in their shop. In a nutshell, we Americans have been choking down bad saké and pretending it tastes good just to appear cultured. We’ve been drinking the wine world’s equivalent of Boone’s Farm and acting like it’s a fine Bordeaux. No more. Johnnie and Taiko are here to steer us straight.

Many Americans are under the impression that saké is an incredibly potent drink that has high alcohol content. This misunderstanding often occurs because their first exposure to the drink is the piping hot concoction served in some “Japanese” restaurants and sushi bars. This stuff will give you a wicked hangover if you’re not careful, so we understand why so many people steer clear of saké.

The truth is, however, that most premium saké has an alcohol content of around 14-16%, which is not much higher than most wine.

Premium saké, which is all we carry at Saké Nomi, is brewed with highly milled (70% or more) saké rice, koji (steamed rice with mold spores) and water.

Lower grade, “bad” saké can be made from barely milled table rice and can contain large quantities of pure distilled alcohol, organic acids, sugars and other flavor adjusters. Chances are, these are the nasties knock, knock, knocking on the inside of your skull the next day.

Congeners are impurities and byproducts of fermentation in alcoholic beverages thought to cause hangovers. The main sources of congeners in saké are proteins and fatty acids found in the outer portion of the rice. In premium saké, the rice is milled to such a high degree that most congeners are eliminated.

In our own experience, when consumed in moderation (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), premium saké is virtually hangover-free. So when in doubt, go for a premium brand, and keep the headache-inducing cheap stuff for the uninformed. We bet that if you take this simple advice, you’ll keep coming back to explore the range of subtle flavors saké has to offer. Americans are just waking up to the pleasures of saké, and we expect that over time, they’ll begin demanding more premium brands and consigning the cheap stuff to the bargain bins where it belongs.

Johnnie and Taiko Stroud
Photo © Studio 5