The sun shining, some twenty BSA Members came together at Vagabond Monument last Monday, each bearing a bottle of ginjo-shu to share at our Sake Social & Study Group.
The theme, it turned out, was a little more challenging than expected from a sourcing perspective, there being about as many ginjo-shu (excluding daiginjo and junmai styles) available for purchase in the UK as there were attendees. Precisely for that reason, however, all of our scholars gained a comprehensive state of the domestic ginjo market, while also getting to sample some special bottles hand-carried from Japan – and even one unusual brew from Brazil.
Members were able to see the true breadth of the category, with lean, elegant, drier styles offering counterpoint to richer, sweeter examples. Differing production methods were examined also, with kimoto, yamahai, nama-genshu, nigori, and koshu ginjo-shu all featuring over the course of the event. A ginjo-based umeshu rounded off proceedings, finishing the evening on a delightfully sweet note.
Only the setting of the summer sun brought this enjoyable evening to a close. Huge thanks go to our attending Members — studious and social in equal measure — for their generous sake-based contributions, thoughtful insights, and humour throughout the tasting. We’re already excited for the next one — and we won’t make the theme quite so tricky, we promise!
by Henry Thorogood
BSA Operations & Events Officer, Study Group & Masterclass Coordinator
A selection of images from the event
British Sake Association 英国日本酒協会 