Aruten: A Constant Companion

Aruten: A Constant Companion

In this episode of Sake Deep Dive, Co-Hosts Andrew Russel and Jim Rion go back the very beginnings of when, and why, distilled alcohol was first added to seishu, trace the rise and fall of aruten, and see just what goes into this delicious class of sake. 

Recommended Sake in this Episode:

Andrew:

Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute Honjozo

Jim:

Nakashimaya Tokubetsu Honjozo

Useful vocabulary for this episode:

Aruten: short for arukooru tenka, meaning “added alcohol.” The catch-all common term for sake that has distilled alcohol added.

Honjozo: the specific term for tokuteimeishoshu (special designation sake) made with added distilled alcohol.

Shochu: Japan’s original distilled alcohol tradition. Goes back some 500 years, and originally just meant “distilled alcohol.” Now, classed into two varieties: honkaku, or authentic, shochu is a single distilled craft beverage, while korui shochu is cheap, highly-distilled neutral alcohol diluted down to 25% as a base for mixed drinks.

Hashirashochu / Hashirajochu: A name used for the traditional distilled alcohol that was added to the sake mash from the early Edo period.

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