Shizuku sake is a luxurious style made by gravity filtration. It’s not easy to make and is typically reserved for high-end daiginjo-shu.
What is Shizuku Sake?
Shizuku sake (雫酒) is made from “drops” collected from gravity pressing (shizuku-shibori 雫搾り). In general, it has a very smooth flavor and is on the fruity side.
Most shizuku is brewed for competitions, but it’s released commercially too, as a limited and expensive product.
Shizuku is almost always either daiginjo or junmai daiginjo-grade.
How is Shizuku Sake Made?
To make shizuku, moromi-filled* cloth bags are hung in a tank, and the drops are collected. This is called fukurotsuri (袋吊り), or the “hanging bag” method.
The cloth bags are filled with moromi, tied, then manually hung from bars above a small tank. No pressure is applied to squeeze the sake other than gravity. This gentle method is why the quality of shizuku is so high.
All sake is pressed to remove rice solids from the liquid. And there are several pressing methods, but fukurotsuri is the most challenging. Therefore, it’s rarely used.
*moromi: the unpressed fermenting mash during the sake brewing process
Collecting in Tobin
A tobin is an 18-liter bottle used by sake brewers. The first sake collected from the tank is often cloudy. So it’s recycled back into a bag and hung again. The sake is finally collected once everything in the tank is clear.
Collected sake usually goes into tobin. The flavors of the bottles are compared, and the best get used in competitions.
Tobin-gakoi (斗瓶囲い) is a term for the sake stored in a tobin. Rarely is tobin-gakoi is bottled and sold to the public. And it is extremely expensive. But most shizuku brands use tobin – it just might not say so on the label.
What Does Shizuku Taste Like?
Shizuku sake is incredibly smooth, complex, and typically fruity.
Almost always, shizuku is either junmai daiginjo or daiginjo grade. These grades are laboriously hand-crafted, taking much more time to brew than most sake. But the extra effort produces aromatic, floral, fruity, and smooth qualities.
But shizuku sake is made with a difficult and inefficient pressing method. And this extra effort makes shizuku taste more complex and refined than other methods.
Brands of Shizuku
In the US, Toko “Ginga Shizuku” and Shichihonyari Shizuku are two of the most widely-distributed brands. Toko “Ultraluxe,” Kaika Tobindori Shizuku, Asabiraki “Kyokusen,” Stella Shizuku, and Kokuryu Shizuku are also worth seeking out.
For many years, the most famous shizuku was Ginga Shizuku Junmai Daiginjo “Divine Droplets” from Hokkaido. Sadly, it was discontinued recently.
Want to Learn More about Shizuku Sake?
Check out the extensive shizuku article I wrote for Tippsy Sake.