【Reading】なまざけ

【English Name】Namazake (Unpasteurized Sake)

Namazake refers to Japanese sake that does not undergo even a single hi-ire (heat pasteurization) at any stage of the entire process after brewing. Whereas ordinary seishu undergoes a total of two heat treatments before shipping, namazake omits that process, sealing the fresh, just-pressed flavor as is into the bottle.

Because active yeast and enzymes remain in abundance, its sensitivity to temperature change is remarkable, and its flavor is easily impaired by even a slight rise in temperature. Refrigerated storage is the basic requirement regardless of whether it is opened.

It is treated as an optional labeling item under the National Tax Agency's seishu manufacturing-method quality labeling standards, and only products to which no heat treatment whatsoever has been applied after fermentation may display "namazake" on the label. The market also features products with similar names such as "nama-chozo-shu" and "nama-zume-shu," but in both, hi-ire is carried out at either the pre-storage or pre-shipping stage, so they differ in manufacturing classification from namazake, which is unheated throughout the entire process.

Among major manufacturers, Gekkeikan offers it year-round in small 180ml and 280ml sizes, and there are also many brands that appear on the market on a limited basis, such as Asahi Shuzo's "Kubota Suiju," available from April to September. At sushi restaurants it is sometimes served paired with light white-fleshed fish and delicately flavored toppings, and its lively mouthfeel is favorably received as accentuating the inherent flavor of the ingredients.