PSA: Sake Manila Is Back With Over 200 Bottles to Sample

(SPOT.ph) Sake Manila is back for its third year, promising yet another glimpse into the blossoming industry. On Friday, May 22, from 5 p.m. to 12 mn at the Grand Ballroom in Okada Manila, enthusiasts and collectors can enjoy some tried and true favorites, as well as small-batch releases that you won't see on retail shelves.

A ticket costs P6000, and this price allows attendees to sample drinks from over 50 exhibitors, which include some of Japan’s top sake producers.

Sake is, of course, the main attraction of Sake Manila. The venerable Japanese rice wine takes center stage, and attendees will be able to taste around 200 sakes, including limited releases and rare bottlings. Catch the following labels at the annual event:

Amabuki • Chiebijin • Chiyomusubi • Dassai • Izumibashi • Gekkeikan • Hakushika • Hakkaisan • Hyakujuro • Jinyu • Kagamiyama • Kagatobi • Kimurashiki • Sanzen • Kinryo • Kitaya • Koshi no Kanbai • Kozaemon • Manotsuru • Masumi • Nanbu Bijin • Nito • Okunokami • Sanrensei • Mifuku • Shichida • Shochikubai • Shinomine • Suigei • Tatenokawa • Tatsuriki • Urakasumi

They will also have access to many of the actual sake brewers, who will serve drinks, talk up their product, and answer any questions the guests may have.

The two whisky brands featured in this year’s Sake Manila is a story of two extremes. Mars Whisky is produced by Hombo Shuzo, a beverage company that can trace its history back to 1872. Amahagan, on the other hand, was established in 2016 as an offshoot of a craft beer brewery. It is the smallest whisky distillery in Japan, with small, limited releases that tend to display a spirit of experimentation.

Shochu is a Japanese grain distilled liquor that tends to come in at around 25% ABV. It’s kind of like soju’s heftier, more robust younger brother. The range at Sake Manila features shochus distilled from a range of materials—rice, barley, and various colors of sweet potatoes—and, for some, aged with varying techniques. Sake Manila will feature:

Arazawa Sakurajima • Den-en • Kinoya • Makai Eno Izanai • Mori Izo • Seki ni Shita • Toki no Tabibito • Toppai

The two gin brands featured at this year’s festival are big premium brands with fairly unique profiles. Mars Wa Bi is a distinctly Japanese take on the spirit, featuring botanicals like shiso, ginger, green tea, and sansho pepper. Mawsim is a Japanese-run microdistillery based out of Cambodia, and it takes inspiration from the local flora as well, using the tropical fruits and spices that are within reach to them. Most interestingly, their spirit is at least partly derived from water hyacinth, an invasive aquatic plant that Mawsim is helping control.

Two beer brands will be present at Sake Manila. The first, Sapporo, is the oldest beer brand in Japan, its origins dating back to 1876. It is also one of the largest beer brands in the world. Coedo Brewery, on the other hand, started in 1996 as an offshoot of a company that distributed produce across Japan. Their agricultural roots show in their beers, particularly in the Beniaka, a sweet potato beer.

Some solo exhibitors may provide a more unique experience; umeshu, for instance, is a liqueur made from ume plums, resulting in a beverage that is both sweet and sour, which can be drunk straight, or used as a mixer in a cocktail. Choya is the biggest commercial brand of umeshu, and offers a pretty wide variety of the Japanese liqueur.

Then there's amazake, or the low-alcohol or non-alcoholic sake. It’s also made with rice that’s been broken down with koji, but it skips the step where the sugars are converted into alcohol. It’s a sweet, cloudy drink that’s regarded as a health drink in Japan, packed with vitamins and minerals that’s meant to keep you going, brought to the event by Bungo Meijyo Koji no Amazake. 

But to wind down, as all evenings must, there's wine. Lumiere is a Japanese winery that’s been around for over 140 years. They make all sorts of wine, but they might be most known for the use of the Koshu grape, a varietal native to Yamanashi Prefecture, where their vineyard is located. It is a white wine grape that’s known for delicate notes of peach, jasmine and citrus.

The ticket also comes with dinner, with a full buffet feast from Okada Manila. For the last two years, the menu has largely stayed within the bounds of Japanese cuisine. This year, they’re branching out a bit, hoping to show that sake is a versatile drink that pairs well with other national cuisines. It has been mentioned that there are going to be Italian dishes on the menu, as well as a variety of cheeses.

Tickets are P6000, and are all-inclusive. Visit sakemanila.com to buy tickets. Sake Manila is presented by Philippine Wine Merchants. Spot is a media partner of Sake Manila.