Inspired Sake Tasting with Yasaka Turu

Expert: master brewer Yoshiki Yukimachi

Why Sake Tasting?

            This description is likely unnecessary, but for those waking up to the world of alcohol, sake stands in a category all its own. Japanese sake is so intrinsically linked to “place” because of the natural bacteria that was traditionally found in the breweries, that each brewery, even using the exact same methods and ingredients, would still create their own uniquely tasting product. Sake tasting, even for those who don’t often drink, is an incredible experience because of how many variables can change even how the finished product tastes. From the temperature the sake is served, the type of glass its served in, to the food it’s paired with, the nuances of sake are innumerable.

Why Sake Tasting in Kyoto by the Sea?

Kyoto by the Sea is believed to be the place where sacred sake was first brewed to be offered to the gods. It makes sense when you consider two of the most important ingredients of sake: rice and water. Rice cultivation is also heavily influenced by soil and water quality, and the Kyoto by the Sea region has seen it’s koshihikari brand rice awarded with the highest Special A ranking for taste and quality. This is also a testament to the quality of the water here, to the extent that there are currently twelve sake breweries thriving throughout the region. One of the most ingenious and well-known being Yasaka Turu (Takeno Sake Brewery). The tasting is a 90-minute drink to your heart’s content experience in the brewery’s private and stylish brewery bar, presided over by Yukimachi-san himself to guide your sake journey.

About our master brewer

            Yasaka Turu (Takeno Sake Brewery) is a multi-generation family brewery, but this current generation’s master brewer, Yoshiki Yukimachi, is taking the company’s sake to unimaginable heights. Coming from a chemistry background and the ability to pour his soul into the details, the Yasaka Turu brand sake has become a talking point at Michelin restaurants and homes worldwide. Yukimachi innovates constantly, has used his genius and creativity to reengineer the process from tank to glass. Speaking of which, he even had custom-made glasses blown for Yasaka Turu’s specific sake in order to match taste and even had the weight redistributed in the glass so customers wouldn’t even have to think about balancing the glass upon picking it up, Yukimachi’s desire for the customer to focus solely on how the sake would taste. Perhaps one of the crowning achievements is an incredible sake that evolves in flavor over the course of drinking it. And even to this, master brewer Yukimachi says he will keep improving.

Where is this experience?

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