29. Shikasen 100ml

Limited quantity of three-year aged dark soy sauce

This Koikuchi sake is made by Okubo, who is particular about both the ingredients and the manufacturing process. It is only available for a limited time as it is pressed at a specific time of the year. By adding rice, it has a rich but not salty taste and is mellow.

Ingredients: soybeans (domestic), wheat, salt, rice

Shokunin Shoyu No. 29

Mr. Okubo values ​​food very much

"Murasaki Daijin" is a light soy sauce that is popular among artisan soy sauces. The similarly named "Murasaki Kasen" is a dark soy sauce, and both are made by Okubo Brewery in Nagano Prefecture.

Okubo-san values ​​food very much. As symbolized by his words, "I don't want to be extravagant. I want to eat the food as it is," he likes to eat seasonal foods, foods as close to nature as possible, and the deliciousness of the ingredients as they are.

In addition, they collect and reuse glass bottles as much as possible for commercial shipments. They use solar power for electricity. "Soy sauce is made with the power of nature, so we shouldn't put a burden on nature," he said. When I talked to Mr. Okubo, I got the impression that he has a firm approach to soy sauce production.

Okubo Brewery has a dark soy sauce called "Odai no Hishio," which is aged for a year and a half and then made by adding the flavors of defatted soybeans at the end. "If we only use whole soybeans, we will never achieve the umami flavor we are aiming for," explains the reason, but this "Shikasen" is made only from soybeans, wheat, and salt, and does not use defatted soybeans.

By extending the aging period, Okubo has been able to achieve his ideal taste. It is aged for three years. We have heard of three-year aging periods for soy sauces that are characterized by their richness, such as re-brewed soy sauce and tamari soy sauce, but aging a dark soy sauce for three years is an extremely long period of aging. The color will become darker and there is a risk that oxidation will progress and the aroma will deteriorate, but this "Shikasen" has a gentle, rounded taste that is not too salty and leaves an impression.

"Murasaki Kasen" is pressed once a year. It is pressed in early spring, and then pressed again the following year. By the way, the name "Murasaki Kasen" comes from Ariwara no Narihira. He was one of the Thirty-six Immortal Poets of the Heian period, and the "Kasen" part comes from that.