SWEET SWEET SAKE

Amidst all the tourists and all the artsy quaintness of the Distillery District is a sake gem.

3 varieties of locally brewed sake are offered in their tasting flight.

When doing touristy things one must walk around. Walking around in Toronto in the summer makes you thirsty. Thirsty for something cold, refreshing and alcoholic. A beer or a cider is the usual go to. Maybe even some sangria or a delicious mojito. But for the more adventurous, ice cold sake is a delicious summertime mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Dainty & Delicious

Japenese sake is always served in tiny little cups. One would think they were shot glasses even, given their size, but no, the fine art of enjoying sake is exactly the same as wine. One must sip.

Japenese sake is always served in tiny little cups. One would think they were shot glasses even, given their size, but no, the fine art of enjoying sake is exactly the same as wine. One must sip. Indeed, Japanese sake is also known as rice wine and though our knowledge about the depth of flavor and rich varieties of nihon shu is very limited in North America there is just as much variety and sophistication in sake as there is in wine. Though the cups are small, the brew can be deceptively strong and there is something very unique about a purely sake induced intoxication.

Three Varieties

Izumi, also known as the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company offers three varieties in their tasting flight at their Distillery District location. There is the Teion Sakura (fermented at a low temperature), Nama Nama (unpasteurized), and the Genshu (full-tank strength, undiluted). Though my sake palette is a little rusty, I thoroughly enjoy the Nama Nama in particular. Sweet (but not-too-sweet), refreshing and serves very nicely chilled. The Teion Sakura had a very interesting, perhaps more complex taste which I feel would go very well with certain Japanese dishes. And the Genshu, again, was not quite as enjoyable as the Nama Nama for the casual sipper.

Learn your sake

Sake is also meant to be enjoyed with food, like wine.

Sake has a very long history, indeed it's origins are as yet unclear. Sake is served hot in the winter, cold in the summer and at room temperature other times of year. Of course, it is also up to personal preference how you would like to drink your sake. I follow the seasons myself as drinking hot sake in the humidity of summer is not especially appetizing to me. Sake is also meant to be enjoyed with food, like wine. To learn about sake pairings I suggest going to Japan, making friends with some Japanese ossans (old dudes) and painting the town red. When I used to drink sake with my good friend Nittasan, he had a wealth of wisdom to share regarding different varieties, the depth of flavour, varying subtleties, and which sake went well with which foods. Of course I've since forgotten all that, probably in the haze of all that drinking but the body memory remains. Good sake is good sake!

Drink and be merry!

Though I only stayed for one flight, I could have easily downed another few glasses of that lovely Nama Nama. I highly recommend you check it out yourself (as well as the Distillery Historic District in general if you're into that kind of thing). Details here.