In uni I spent six months in Japan and had my fair share of high quality sake.  Whilst I feel that you can get the good stuff here, the prices just aren’t conducive to my tastes.  When we saw a sake tasting at Chef’s Armoury we jumped at it.  Never knowing what to expect with a ‘tasting’, our expectations were low…

We had a small tasting group and saw that there were not only four different types of sake to try but also food matches – win number 1.

The host clearly knew his stuff and had spent a lot of time in Japan – win number 2.

The host literally forges knives, blacksmith style, in Japan – win number 3

Chef’s Armoury doesn’t just cater to a chef’s knifing needs but also has a great selection of Japanese beers – win number 4.

This was turning into a good Saturday afternoon….

The tasting started with Eiichi Dry Junmai, a slightly sweet drop — but when paired with the oyster match the drop turned from a 6 to a 10.  I’m always fascinated by the way our palate changes with certain foods and keep rolling around a part-time something in viticulture to assuage my curiosity.  The dry was quickly followed by Oita Oni Koroshi Ginjo which we matched with a giant olive, and a Fukukoma Nama Genshu, which was matched with a delicious Christmas ham.  The last one, Yuzu Maru, was compared to a mild fortified wine, which I think was right on the mark. Not overpoweringly sweet and strong enough to be a good nightcap.

Full marks to the team at Chef’s Armoury who made our Saturday afternoon more booze filled and delicious than we had anticipated!

-Ruki