IWC & Sake Samurai Tour: 梵(福井) / Born

I was on the International Wine Challenge and Sake Samurai Tour

as an award of Sake Communicator Award I received last year.

It was such a reward to visit 5 different sake breweries in 5 prefectures,

after my first visit to "Horaisen" sake brewery in Shitara-city, Aichi,
I had arrived in Sabae-city, Fukui preefcture to visit "Born" Sake of Katoukichibee Shouten.
The photo above is Yoshie Shrine where god of water resides.

昨年末に頂いたサケ・コミュニケーター・アワードの賞品、

IWC＆サケサムライさんスポンサーの一週間で五県、五蔵を巡る機会をいただきました。

愛知県の設楽町にある「蓬莱泉」の蔵元さんの後訪れたのは、
「梵」の蔵元、加藤吉平商店のある福井県鯖江市。
写真は、水の神様の住む吉江神社です。

Sabae-city was so sunny and beautiful on this day,
I heard that most of the remained snow had melted this morning.

着いた日の鯖江は背伸びがしたくなる位のいい天気。
ずっと積もっていた雪も、この朝に随分溶けてしまったそうです。

Sabae-city is known for their nation's best eye frame productions for glasses,
they have 20% of the world and 96% of the national share in the market.
This city is also famous for production of lacquer ware and percussion instrument,
as well as being the sights for beautiful azalea flowers.
Katoukichibee Shouten has located in the delta of local river called Hino and Asamizu rivers,
and produce their sake benefited with its wealthy source of spring water

鯖江市は眼鏡のフレーム製造で有名な町。その技術は日本一で、
世界の市場の２０％、国内の９６％のシェアを占めているそうです。
その他、業務用漆器や打楽器製造も栄え、つつじの名所としても知られています。
加藤吉平商店はこの地域を流れる日野川と浅水川の三角州の真ん中に位置し、
豊富な伏流水を使って、酒造りを行っています。

The face of Born sake, 11th owner and president Atsuhide Kato.
last time I saw him at Sake event at Japanese consulate in Shanghai.
with his leadership in the local community and passion to world-known Born sake,
as well as his looks which you'll never forget once met, he is such a man with impact.
After arriving in Sabae, I got a lunch at his place with "Born Gold" sake.

「梵」の顔。１１代目当主 加藤団秀（あつひで）社長。
加藤社長には上海領事館での酒の会でお会いしたぶりです。
一度会ったら忘れられない強烈なインパクトと、
世界に羽ばたく「梵」にかける情熱に溢れる、鯖江のリーダー。
到着してすぐ、奥様にも迎えられご自宅にてお昼を御馳走になりました。
梵GOLDとともに。

This is the photo from the the ceremony of enthronement of Emperor Showa (1926),
when Sake from his brewery had elected to be the official sake in the area.
The little boy in the photo is the grandfather of president Atsuhide.
According to him they had been producing Ginjo type of sake
(it was called "Ginzo" sake at that time) around these times,
and that made me feel the history between the Ginjo sake and Born.

これは、昭和天皇御即位の大典の儀の際、加藤吉江商店さんのお酒が
地方選酒の御用酒に選ばれた時のものだそう。
写真に映る小さな少年は、団秀社長のお爺様。
このころから当時は珍しい吟醸酒（当時は「吟造酒」と呼ばれていたそう）
を造っていたそうで、加藤吉江商店さんと吟醸酒の歴史の長さを感じました。

"Zubo Gani", the crab which just molted was in season.
The crab which comes out of shell without any effort,
was so tender and juicy.

ズワイの脱皮したての蟹「ズボガニ」が旬の福井。
すぽん、と取れる身は柔らかくジューシー。

"Gama Ebi", is also an ingredients of Fukui prefecture,
The sweet, thick and mouth melting prawn almost made me cry.
They were fainted by ice water at the beginning,
but awoke and made me in panic! I had eaten it all, though.

深緑の卵がいっぱいの「ガマエビ」も、福井県の誇る食材だそう。
肉厚で、とろける甘さに感激。
急冷で気絶状態だったこのガマエビくんは、
途中から目が覚めてぴみえんたは大騒ぎ。それでも全部食べました。笑

I'd got to see plum flowers in each places I had visited.

Breathtaking beauty of Sakura (cherry blossoms) has been my favorite, 

yet this tiny and sweet invitation of spring made me love Ume (plum) blossoms as well.

梅の花には、今回行く先々で出会えました。

華やかな桜も好きだけど、小さく淑やかに春を伝えてくれる梅が

今回の旅で好きになりました。

I was lucky to see brewery even though it was closed on Sunday.

The concept of Born sake is; 100% Junmai sake,

the polishing ratio of all is less than 60% (which means 40% of rice is milled away),

 the average polishing ratio is 37% (means 63% is taken away from rice!)

and all sake is matured in freezing temperature at least for 2 years.

They are one of the top brewery for its high polishing ratio.

日曜日で蔵がお休みなのにも関わらず、蔵見学をさせて頂きました。

梵さんのお酒は、オール純米酒、すべて60％以下の精米歩合（平均精米歩合は37％！）
という日本トップクラスの高精米蔵。

そしてすべてのお酒が氷温にて貯蔵された長期熟成酒です。

You cannot see it in the photo, but the bottom of the sake making tank is conic shape.
Since they do not mix the mush with Kai stick,
they designed to create the natural convection within the tank.

写真では良く見えませんが、仕込みタンクの底が逆円錐形になっています。
櫂入れをしないポリシーのため、自然に対流がしやすい形としてデザインされたそう。

Koji room is not made with wood like others, its all covered with stainless steel,
and there are 5 koji rooms with in their 4th floor building.
全てステンレス張りの麹室は、４階建ての蔵の中に５室もあります。

This is their new pressing machine, with special trick of buttons on each frames
which allows to remove the clothes much easier than reglar design.
各フレームにボタンが着いていて布がすぐはずせる新型やぶた式上槽機。

The brewery without its operation was very interesting,
I felt the lives of bacteria moving in the quiet brewery.

稼働していないひっそりとしている蔵も、その中で動き続ける微生物の息吹を感じて
妙に趣があるものでした。

The Sake making with super-high polished ratio rice and freezing maturation was
focused so much on their tips to work with the fragile delicacy of rice and sake.
However not only the sake making, but he also pays much attention to the local environment,
such as all the lights at brewery is LED lights, using solar power as well as
developing the facility to circulate 99% of used water to underground.
Adding to President Kato's personality that always talking about his sake with so much joy,
I had seen the ideal attitude of the leader who stands for the community
and produces sake which "brings visions of the future".
President Kato, Thank you so mcuh!
On the next post, I will write about my experience drinking Born sake
with super energetic Kato san at night time.

超高精米、氷温熟成を追求した蔵の造りは、
お米や酒質の繊細さを中心としたこだわりでいっぱい。
しかし造りのこだわりだけではなく、蔵の照明はすべてLED、
太陽光発電を採用したり、水を99％地下に戻す施設があったりと、
地域環境にも配慮した取り組みにも熱心です。
そして終始本当に嬉しそうに、自分の蔵のことを話す熱血営業マンの加藤社長。
地域を代表し、「感動の酒」を造るリーダーのあるべき姿勢を
存分に感じることのできる訪問となりました。
加藤社長、本当にありがとうございました。

次回は、元気な加藤社長に連れられての、夜編「梵」の世界をお届けします。