At Mizutani Sake Brewery, we participated in the process of pressing sake.

There is a process called “上槽(Jo^so^)” to squeeze the mash that has matured in the vat (tank).

In general, sake is squeezed using an automatic compression press called a “yabuta-shiki,” but some high-grade sake is squeezed using a method called “袋吊り 雫どり(fukuro-tsuri shizuku-dori)”. 

As the name suggests, “袋吊り 雫どり(fukuro-tsuri shizuku-dori)” is a method of extracting new sake by placing the mash in a strong bag and hanging it in a tank to collect the drops that naturally drip down. It takes a lot of time and effort, so there is a limit to the amount of sake that can be made, but sake squeezed this way is said to have a completely different flavor than sake squeezed by machine. 

We had the privilege of witnessing the “袋吊り 雫どり(fukuro-tsuri shizuku-dori)” process, so please watch the video.