After our visit last year to his brewery, we fell in love with his whole range of modern sakes.

Masaru terada-san took his around on his rice fields, opens up all his bottles paired with some cooked dishes by his family.

The smell of the koji making through the brewery, with the songs of the kimoto starter has made our life perfect.

We can say Terada Honke, is one of the radical breweries of whole Japan. 25 years ago when he had a critical moment in the hospital he saw the light. No more additives to the fermentation straight back to the nature. Natural yeasts, biological rice, old fermentation starters.

Bodai-moto is one of these starter methods that is created by combining raw polished rice, a small amount of cooked rice and water and incubated for anywhere from three – ten days. During this time lactic bacteria falls into the mixture and the liquid becomes sour water. After this time frame the raw rice is taken away and steamed before being returning to the sour water. Then an addition of Koji rice is added (in Terada Honke’s case around 40% of the volume of raw rice). Then fermentation by natural yeast takes just two weeks. Then just a simply gentle pressing in a ‘Fune’ or horizontal press before being bottled.

This Daigo no Shizuku is a very unique Sake. It is produced using the Bodaimoto method, which is known as that ‘pre-modern’ method of creating Sake, first originating from a temple in Nara. The resultant Sake is wildly different from many, with a full body showing sweet fruit and a pickled ume & citrus character. It’s acidity is lively and refreshing. Perfect to served it at a wide range of western or Japanese dishes.

We invited Terada-san a few months ago to DIM to do a sake dinner with us and we paired this Daigo No Shizuku with a Coquilles, almonds and cauliflower dish.  Heaven!