The Story Behind Prince Nagaya Sake

In 1988, excavations at the site of Japan's ancient capital of Heijo-kyo unearthed 35,000 mokkan--wooden tablets used in ancient times to write with ink--some of which were found to include descriptions of a long-lost method of brewing Japanese sake. The texts were written in the 8th century, around 1,300 years ago, at a time when the dominant powers in Europe were the Kingdom of the Franks and the Byzantine Empire. Using the descriptions recorded on these mokkan, we have succeeded in recreating the sake from 1,300 years ago, revealing a flavor and appeal utterly unlike those of modern-day sakes. In sharing this sake with the world, we named it after the man who once lived in the mansion where the mokkan were discovered. This man was the great statesman and member of the Imperial Family, Prince Nagaya.

The Brewing Process

Modern methods of making sake call for a brewing process in which koji (fermented rice), steamed rice, and water are introduced in three separate stages. Doing so makes it possible to stabilize the acidity level and the progress of fermentation in the container. Prince Nagaya, on the other hand, is made in a single-stage brewing process in which the koji, steamed rice and water are all added at once. As a brewer following this method, you only get one shot, and quality control is extremely difficult. 1,300 years ago, the success rate would have been low, and every cup of successfully brewed sake must have been treated as a precious miracle. Modern technology has allowed us to consistently recreate this miracle.