Undiluted Fun: Exploring Genshu Sakes

Season 1. Episode 48.  Genshu is known commonly as the heavy hitter in the world of sake.  Sometimes called "cask strength" or "high alcohol sake", what we are really talking about here is sake that is undiluted with water.  Usually, this gives us a sake clocking in at around 18-20% alcohol.  Most sake is brewed to this level and then water is added at the time of bottling to bring the alcohol level down to about 15%.  When this addition of water is skipped, then we get "genshu".      One misunderstanding about  Genshu is that it is just one thing - namely, a  high alcohol bull in a china shop.  Tim and John discover that Genshu has a lot more nuance than that.  There are both lower and higher alcohol sakes that qualify as Genshu.  For those classic high alcohol sakes, John tries  his on the rocks - a fun way to engage with Genshu.  Whether the alcohol level is high or low, be sure to give genshu sakes a try... Or as genshu  sake brewers say -  dilute another day.Support the show