Baisho-zukuri (焙炒造り)
Baisho-zukuri is one of the production methods of Japanese sake (rice wine) in the modern days and is one kind of the high-temperature saccharization method. This method was developed by Takara Holdings Co., Ltd., which is a Japanese major alcohol-beverage-producing company. The remarkable feature of this method is that this method is developed from a viewpoint for Japanese sake to be a modern industrial product which fits the current time rather than a traditional handicraft product similarly to Yumai-zukuri method. Concerning this point, there still are opinions which are for and against.
Production method
Rice is first milled for producing sake.
A hot air at around 200 to 400Cº is applied to polished rice.
This dried rice is sent to a tank together with Japanese-sake malted rice and Japanese-sake yeast and they are waited for to ferment. Then, Japanese sake is able to be produced far easier than in the conventional traditional method and without any waste of and inexpensively as to materials and costs such as the personnel expenses.
Advantages and affirmative opinions
Rice is able to be used without any waste.
The time and labor are able to be reduced.
Adjustment of moromi is easy.
Sake is produced to be cool and dry compared to the ordinary steaming (the degree of Japanese sake of high-class and regular sake produced by torrefaction are +10 and that of high-class and regular sake of ordinary gokai is +4.)
In this method, the modern management is able to be thoroughly conducted and the sake is able to flexibly cope with the inventory state as an industrial product.
This method brought a ray of hope that sake is able to be easily produced and sold, in the difficult time during which the consumption of Japanese sake is low, the sales of sake is slow, and the personnel expenses and other expenses were drastically increased.
Though consumers who knows much about sake often say, this retail price is almost twice as high as its substantial price, the retail price is determined based on the realized price and expenses for advertisements and other items are necessary and, therefore, when the consumers select a product based on its realized price, this selection must be respected.
Disadvantages and adverse opinions
The sake made in this method contains less amino acids and has less flavor.
Although some "dregs" (liquid lees) are produced during the process of the method, this dregs can not be used as "sake-kasu" and are disposed of as an industrial waste.
However, some manufacturers are advancing their research on products in which the "dregs" (liquid lees) obtained in the liquefied preparation.
The quality of sake lacks grace and firmness.