From seasoning to drink, Mirin has been updated.
What is "Me", the "malt liqueur"?
- Part 1 -

Traditional Japanese sake brewing techniques using kouji bacteria have been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and are attracting more and more attention.Mirin (sweet sake with malted rice) is the fourth type of sake to attract attention, following sake, shochu, and awamori! What is Mirin "Me", which claims to be a "kouji liqueur"?

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

Mr. Rintaro Kimura, development manager.

A look back at the history of mirin.

Mirin, made with shochu and kouji (malted rice, kouji), is said to have originated around 1590.

In the Edo period (1603-1867), a sweet cocktail made by adding mirin to shochu, called "Yanagikage," became very popular!It was more of a luxury sake than a popular drink, but its mild taste made it popular among women.

At the Japanese Pavilion of the "Second Paris Exposition Universelle held in 1867, "Yanagikage" was served to Europeans instead of sake (by the way, sake was not exhibited at the Paris Exposition until 1878).

It was not until the 1950s that people began to say "Mirin is a seasoning" .......

The distribution of mirin as a seasoning enabled a large tax reduction, and the product was widely distributed to ordinary households.

Furthermore, the appearance of similar products such as mirin-like seasonings (made by adding syrup and other ingredients to brewing seasonings made from rice and rice malt) caused people to forget that mirin is a beverage.

During the Edo period, "Toshimaya's white sake" made by grinding glutinous rice and malted rice into mirin was very popular!On days when the product was on sale, a huge line of people lined up before dawn, as depicted in "Kamakura-machi Toshimaya Sake Shop: Selling White Sake" in "Edo Meisho Zue (Illustrations of Famous Places in Edo, published in the late Edo period by Saito Gessin, illustrated by Hasegawa Settan).

Kanda Toshimaya's "Me" revives traditional mirin as a liqueur.

It is a thick, honey-like liqueur.It is easy to understand if we call it a refreshing yet alcoholic amazake.

It contains no added sugar or sweeteners.The mild sweetness is the result of kouji mold saccharifying the starch in glutinous rice, and is more refreshing than sugar or sugar syrup.

Unlike the commonly distributed hon mirin, it is made with authentic shochu instead of brewing alcohol.

Mr. Rintaro Kimura, who is responsible for the development of this product, was inspired by the possibility of mirin as a liqueur when he saw people of all ages and genders sipping sweet cocktails at a bar in Paris.

The Toshimaya Sake Brewery is located in Higashimurayama,Tokyo. It is also the only mirin brewery in Tokyo.

Mirin matches with cocktails!

Mirin may have as much chance as sake if it appeals as a sweet liqueur.
"The proposal to add sweetness to cocktails with sugar-free, low-GI mirin may match the needs of wellness in the coming age.
<a3> With these thoughts in mind, we immediately started developing a new brand of mirin with a brewery in Higashimurayama (Toshimaya Shuzo) to launch a new brand of mirin.

The concept behind the development of this completely new mirin was "learning from the past.

I myself only knew that Mirin was drunk as a luxury sake in the Edo period (1603-1868), but when I looked into it, I found that Mirin as a drink has undergone many changes.

Originally, mirin was made by soaking rice malt in shochu (distilled spirit) and pressing it.In later years, glutinous rice was used to add sweetness.

Against this backdrop, we decided to make the new Mirin with only rice malt, glutinous rice, and shochu, faithfully following the Edo Period production method.

The directly managed store "Toshimaya Rita-Shop" in Uchikanda.

The ingredients are also carefully selected.Only domestically produced rice malt, glutinous rice, and authentic shochu (Kumamoto's Kuma shochu) are used.

Mirin is produced without filtration and without using any finning.

Until the 1960s, mirin was distributed throughout the country as a raw sake, but in order to improve productivity, hydration and finning have been added. (a solvent added to precipitate out lees and increase transparency)

This has made it impossible to distribute sake in its raw state and has necessitated the process of pasteurization.

Today, almost all mirin sold to the public is pasteurization, but ”Me” is made without pasteurization, and is bottled after the sake has been pressed and aged slowly.

There are two types of "Me" in the lineup.On the left is "Me Unfiltered Nama-Genshu Orikarami" (¥2,640), an orikarami type with just the right amount of white orikara from the rice malt by immediately bottling the freshly squeezed sake.On the right is the "Me Unfiltered Nama-zake" (¥2,420).

Considering the quality of the drink, there is no need to go to the trouble of adding water or a finning.

Since we do not heat the kouji, the nutrients of the kouji can be consumed as they are.

The casks are not artificially lowered, but rather wait for the casks to naturally lower.This is synonymous with "No Finning," which is a claim made for natural wines.

It takes a few months to six months for lees to drop, but you just have to take it easy and wait (laughs)."

In 2021, sales began in the midst of the Corona disaster.

Continued in Part 2.