Gifu 飲品之旅

From my first time trying the Daruma Koshu at Sakagura in new York, I have been obsessed with this sake. The caramel noted with the refined taste of this aged sake which was paired with an ice cream (yes, I know, so weird and interesting) was a memory that has stuck with me for more than 5 years. When I planned my trip to Japan, a tour of this brewery was a must for me. When I saw that this was available on byfood, I was excited but initially skeptical due to the lack of reviews. However, I was surprised that the CEO Shiraki San herself was our tour guide. We were late to our appointed time due to navigation troubles (Do not use taxi to transfer after bus, you will not find one) but Shiraki San was extremely accommodating. She gave us an informative tour of the brewery showing us the several stages of the process (Fermentation, pressing etc.) and a facility where really old sake were still aging, even from as old as 1995. During the tasting session, we got to try several aged sake including ones from 1970s. Exploring how the aging changes the taste and even the texture, even at a period of around 5 years, was extremely intriguing. Each one feels really distinct from each other. The sake was paired with some dried fruits and nuts which were a really tasty combo. Finally, I got to purchase 2 bottles which had been so hard to find in my home country. This was a bucket list item for me for a very long time and I was love to do a tour again!