Enjoy delicious barrel sake on a daily basis, not just on sunny days!

Taru-zake is Japanese sake packed in cedar or cypress barrels, and is often served at celebratory occasions such as kagamiwari.
During the Edo period, when shipping sake made in Nada and elsewhere to Edo, barrels were valued because they were lighter and easier to transport than the traditional jars.After that, until the early Showa period, liquor stores continued to sell it by weight from barrels.
Nowadays, there are fewer craftsmen and craftsmen who make sake barrels, and they are becoming rarer each year.

I want to drink barrel sake!

I can't forget the barrel sake I drank at the celebration, and when I hear that a bar has opened in Kyoto where you can drink barrel sake, I decided to go undercover.

Located in an alley in the Kitano shopping district, this soba and standing bar restaurant has an eye-catching white-walled exterior.
There are many restaurants where you can enjoy Japanese sake with your soba, but this one, which opened on April 4th, is unusual because it only serves barrel sake.
When it comes to barrel sake, most of them are honjozo sake, but the idea is to custom order sake with complex flavors such as kimoto and junmai so that you can enjoy the taste that changes each day.
Recommended is the 1 yen set that includes 2 go of barrel sake net, 2,500% soba noodles, and XNUMX side dishes that change daily.
The soba noodles are freshly ground and made with homemade flour.The coarsely ground soba has a strong aroma and texture, and the pairing with the wood-flavored barrel sake is exquisite.

Click here for the person introducing this article

Taro “Ted” Ohashi/Mr. and Mrs. Yumie

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Taro's family runs a famous soba specialty restaurant in Kyoto.After working in sales at the sake brewery ``Yamamoto Honke'' in Fushimi, he became involved in brewing at a sake brewery in Hokuriku and Hitomi Winery in Shiga Prefecture.After that, he decided to learn how to make soba noodles.He runs the business in partnership with Yumie, a former advertising agency employee.

Fascinating barrel sake

``I love sake with the scent of barrels.I want to drink alcohol on a sunny day, so I wanted to serve something that I couldn't do at home.We put special sake in wooden barrels, and made it in traditional ways such as honjozo, regular sake, and kimoto. I want you to taste and compare the different types of sake,” says Taro, expressing his passion for barrel sake.

Barrel sake poured into an original sake cup.
After taking a sip, many people said, "It's delicious! And the aroma is amazing."

This barrel sake has a refreshing wood aroma and a mellower taste than the original.The ingredients derived from the barrels wash away the greasiness of the food and leave your mouth feeling refreshed.Also, while sake brings out the flavor of seafood such as soup stock, barrel sake is said to be even more effective.Being able to enjoy the change in flavor at the bottom of the barrel after it is opened and over time is another appeal that bottled sake does not have.

Vermilion-lacquered dishes are lined up on the table, and barrels of sake are drunk.Even if you don't have anything to celebrate, you'll be in a good mood, and even if you're sitting next to each other for the first time, you can't help but have a lively conversation. The store's name, ``Vibes,'' reflects our wish that ``we want you to enjoy your meal.''

Today's barrel sake (drink comparison)

• Koto Sokujo regular sake (Sasaki Sake Brewery, Kyoto Prefecture) 1 cup 1,200 yen
  The store's standard sake is local Kyoto sake.The light and clean taste is "an image that goes well with Kyoto cuisine."

• Suginishiki Kimoto Junmai (Sugii Sake Brewery, Shizuoka Prefecture) 1 cup 1,200 yen *2nd and subsequent cups are 1,000 yen
  A sake brewery in Shizuoka Prefecture that the owner has deep feelings for. ``This sake is produced in an area near Yaizu Port, which is known for skipjack fishing, and has a strong sourness that goes well with meat.As it is a freshly brewed kimoto, it has a rather green taste.''Suginishiki is scheduled to become a semi-standard sake, and says, ``Although this is 2022 BY, I would like to propose careful comparisons of the same sake, such as differences in age and original sake.''
• Saisuke rice shochu (Sugii Sake Brewery, Shizuoka Prefecture) rocks glass 800 yen
  Rice shochu from the same brewery as Suginishiki.Made with Shizuoka yeast and yellow koji.Filled in an empty barrel of Kimoto Junmai.It is made using the same yeast and koji as sake, and is easy to drink with the aroma of rice and gentle sweetness.Future plans include using it as a base for fruit wine.

Pair soba and ate with barrel sake

Soba brat (small) 500 yen
The buckwheat noodles from Kyotanba are milled into flour after an order is placed, so you can enjoy the gorgeous scent of freshly ground buckwheat noodles.The soba noodles are prepared one by one and are piping hot and chewy.Coupled with the texture that comes from extremely coarse grinding, where you can see the grains, it's perfect for pairing with barrel sake.You can also enjoy Yumie's homemade duck loin and seasonal ate.

Soba Myoga and Itsuki's salted kelp and olive oil 1,200 yen
The handmade soba noodles have a firm texture and are made with soy sauce made in wooden barrels, hongaeshi made from suginishi junmai hon mirin, and sugar-free soup stock.The extra virgin olive oil and salted kelp from a long-established Kyoto restaurant add a nutritious flavor.

Vibes go up

In fact, you can pour so much water that it spills over into the cup, so each cup is about 1 go. After drinking three glasses, everyone who was present got excited.
Enjoy the casual atmosphere of standing-nomi and the special barrel sake and handmade soba noodles you won't find anywhere else.
People and spaces react to each other and the mood reaches its peak.
In the future, they are also considering making blended sake using empty barrels, and it looks like there will be even more ways to enjoy barrel sake.

It's open until LO 19pm, so it's still daylight by the time I get home. “A wonderful evening drink to everyone.”