Sake and shochu from Okayama

What are Okayama's climate and water like?

Okayama has a warm climate and clear water fed by three major rivers. The prefecture's tourism site describes it as a land where good rice, good water and skilled brewmasters come together.

What is Omachi rice?

Omachi was discovered in 1859 and began to be grown in Okayama. Its grains are large and the white core, the shinpaku, is big and soft, so koji mould enters easily and the sake gains depth of flavour. The plant is tall and falls over easily, and it is vulnerable to pests, so planting shrank to about 3 hectares in 1973 before recovering to about 600 hectares by 2019. The tourism site says Okayama now accounts for about 95 percent of the national crop.

What does Okayama sake taste like?

The brewers' association describes the traditional Bicchu style as fresh in aroma, with savoury depth, low amino acids and little roughness, a light, easy-drinking type. Today brewmasters from other schools also work here, and styles range from light to rich. Light dry and sweeter types are somewhat more common in the south (Bizen and Bicchu), and fuller, richer types in the north (Mimasaka).

A short history of Okayama sake

The association points out that sake from Kibi, the old name of the region, appears in the Manyoshu poems. The founder of the Bicchu toji is said to be Asano Yajibei, who learned brewing in Nada in the Genroku era (1688 to 1703). The name Bicchu toji spread in the Bunka era, a guild was set up in 1899, and Okayama sake won a high prize at the first national sake competition in 1907.

Where are the breweries?

The association groups its breweries into three areas: Bizen (Okayama, Seto, Saidaiji), Bicchu (Kojima, Kurashiki, Tamashima, Kasaoka, Takahashi) and Mimasaka (Kuse, Tsuyama, Mimasaka). Breweries using Omachi are spread across the prefecture.

Visiting and what to eat with it

Tsujihonten in Katsuyama, Maniwa, was founded in 1804 and offers reservation-based tours and a restaurant on site. Check its official site for times and fees. For food, Seto Inland Sea seafood and barazushi, which let the ingredients speak, go well with a light, savoury sake.