Sake specs
- Prefecture
- Yamaguchi (山口)
- Rice type
- Yamada Nishiki (山田錦)
- Polishing rate (semaibuai)
- 50%
- Alcohol content
- 16%
The rice used in Dassai 50 sake is milled down to 50% of its original size. Rice, water and rice koji and filtered just enough to preserve its naturally sweet flavour that's full-bodied yet refreshing. Its sweetness shows a floral aroma with nuts, candy, and cantaloupe hints. Lively and refreshing, perfectly balancing sweetness and dryness. Best enjoyed chilled in a wine glass.
Note: the Dassai 50 was discontinued in 2019 and replaced with the Dassai 45 Nigori.
About the brewery
- Brewery
- Asahi Shuzō
- Name in Japanese
- 獺祭 旭酒造株式
- Address
- 2167-4 Shutomachi Osogoe, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi 742-0422
- Phone
- 082-786-0120
- Website
The Asahi Shuzo Brewery, based in Osogoe, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, has a 200-year history and took a significant risk. In 1984, its management restructured the company and only focused on producing Junmai Daiginjō sake with a rice polishing rate of 45% or higher. Asahi Shuzo's gamble paid off, and the company reinvented itself as a producer of high-quality sake. Streamlining their production, they produce only Junmai Daiginjō sake with a milling rate of 45%, 39%, and 23%, and their "Dassai Beyond" with an "undisclosed ratio of rice polishing". Asahi Shuzo produces all year around to provide consumers with the freshest sake possible. Dassai has become one of the most popular and well-known brands in Japan and abroad.
Why "Dassai"?
"Dassai" literally means "otter festival". This word was used long ago in Yamaguchi Prefecture, as many otters were frolicking in the nearby rivers. Otters would lay out on the shore fishes they caught, almost as if they were showing them off – as one would do during a festival (source).
Why "Dassai"?
"Dassai" literally means "otter festival". This word was used long ago in Yamaguchi Prefecture, as many otters were frolicking in the nearby rivers. Otters would lay out on the shore fishes they caught, almost as if they were showing them off – as one would do during a festival (source).