Visiting Shata Shuzo – Ishikawa’s Tengumai

Shata’s Toji gives us a taste of the Moromi!

One of the most well known sakes in Ishikawa Prefecture is Shata Shuzo’s Tengumai. I recently had the opportunity for return trip to Ishikawa and didn’t want to miss another chance to see the latest goings on at Tengumai. We were lucky enough to get a tour of the brewery by the Master Brewer (Toji) and I enjoyed sampling sake right from the moromi tank… this is a rare treat!

Koji ready for the next step!

We also spent a fair amount of time touring the Koji Muro or Koji making room. Outside the koji room itself were large trays of stacked koji, fished and waiting for it’s next step – addition to the main mash or yeast starter. Each batch of Koji was marked with unique markings that tell which step of the brewing process the koji is meant for. These markings are quite beautiful and fun to look at… and a piece of living sake history too

At the end of the tour, we got to sample some sakes which included Shata’s Go-Rin brand as well as Tengumai. The weather was beautiful this day and coming off such a beautiful brewery tour, it make the sake taste just that much more delicious.