After the long, crippling Corona break, we were eager to see how our November 2021 whiskey tasting would go. Despite a successful small sake tasting in October we were admittedly still a bit nervous when the whiskey event was fully booked on all 35 seats within a very short time and even some regular guests asked for an additional seat. The expectations were obviously high and the desire for beautiful events great.
Our whisky tasting events, along with our sake tasting events, have become extremely popular little gems. There are whisky and sake tastings everywhere, but we try not to simply serve cheese, sushi or crackers with the presented drinks: we create our own small dishes for each tasting event, which are always adapted to the characteristics of the respective whisky or sake, and thus offer a food pairing or matching, which particularly emphasizes the characteristics of the tasted drink. And of course, our whisky tasting events usually feature only Japanese whiskies and not whiskies from around the world. (Others can do that better)
After this effort we are also very happy about the great feedback and a successful event, which is of course a challenge for our small kitchen and the speakers (without microphones) with almost 40 people.
As a speaker we had again won our Munich supplier for special, rare Japanese whisky, Mr. Jürgen Liebenau from JWhisky.com. He was able to vividly report on the price increases of Japanese whisky in recent years - and that many whiskies you will find on our menu, are hardly available in Japan anymore.
Here again some pictures and the descriptions of the dishes to read, which also show the approach of Chef Matsui.
Suntory Hakushu 12 years
Asari scallops steamed in whiskey and arugula fried in tempura batter, arranged in a hollowed-out shell of a yuzu fruit.
Asari clams are particularly rich in umami in winter. Steaming makes the aroma and flavor even stronger and highly concentrated.
In Japanese cuisine, asari shell steamed in sake is a classic winter dish. This time we have used whiskey instead of sake so that you can fully enjoy the taste of the combined whiskey.
The Hakushū 12 whiskey goes very well with seafood because of its fresh citrus notes and minerality. To round off the smoky nuances of the whisky, the mussels are sprinkled with garlic powder, which gives them a special spiciness. If you also enjoy arugula fried in tempura batter, the tempura oil causes you to perceive the whiskey very mildly.
Yamazakura Cognac Cask Finish
Scallops konbu-jime, shiso leaves and tsukudani of seaweed and fried Tōfu.
Fresh scallops are wrapped in seaweed leaves overnight to intensify the gentle aroma of the sea. The scallops are then seared medium and flambéed with whiskey. Tsukudani (trifle cooked in soy sauce) served on scallops is a popular snack with sake. It also goes great with whiskey, as it adds a nice accent without taking away from the flavor of the whiskey.
The soy sauce in which the tsukudani was prepared contains numerous fruity and floral aroma components. To match this, we paired the dish with Yamazakura Whisky aged in Cognac Cask, as it also has a fruity note like the Tsukadani. Chop up the shiso leaves and tsukudani, and enjoy them with the scallop.
Nikka Taketsuru 17 years
Yahatamaki, grilled eel rolls stuffed with Gobō (burdock root), served with boiled bamboo shoots with bonito flakes and kaiware radish.
At this time we have eel season and therefore it is bought live and cut by our chefs (by the way, a special specialty that you will find in the form in few Japanese restaurants in Germany). The perfect balance between its tender meat and fat, without a fishy smell is an exceptional pleasure at this time of year.
The eel dish Yahata-maki is a local dish from Kyōto, which originates from the original Japanese cuisine. The combination of eel and Gobō, which is the specialty of the region, was the origin of this dish.
The earthy flavor of Gobō and the woody aroma and spicy flavor from Taketsuru 17 whisky go perfectly together and add depth to the dish. Enjoy the overall harmony together with the crunchy texture of the bamboo shoots, the umami of the bonito flakes and the bitter nuance of the Kaiware radish.
Chichibu Chibidaru 2014
Venison minced steak with onion chips accompanied by flambéed apples.
Chichibu Chibidaru whisky has the highest alcohol content (53 %) among the whiskies selected here, and thus the strongest taste.
Fittingly, we have chosen a venison dish. Venison is often eaten as a steak. For this occasion, however, we prepared it as a ground steak. In order to serve the low-fat venison juicy, we previously prepared a jelly from the broth of the bones and then mixed this with the minced meat. The sauce is prepared from the meat juices together with the whiskey and additionally refined with a touch of pink pepper. Combined with flambéed apples, you have yet another completely different, wonderful taste experience.
Nikka Coffey malt whisky
Homemade okaki chocolate filled with dried apricots and peanuts
Okaki rice crackers are prepared by cutting mochi into small pieces, leaving them to dry at rest, deep-frying them in oil until crispy, and then dipping them in a sweet and spicy sauce made from soy sauce and sugar.
Okaki rice crackers and dark chocolate are a surprisingly good combination. The chocolate is still filled with peanuts and dried fruit, and the pairing with the Coffey Malt Whisky with its vanilla and praline notes adds complexity and depth to the overall flavor.
Keep an eye on us for more events!
We thank all participants for patiently waiting for this tasting and for their friendly participation - and we are looking forward to the next events. We are also happy to listen to your suggestions and wishes about what else you would like to see around the versatile Japanese cuisine - write us on the Contact form or on Facebook. And above all keep our homepage and our newsletter in the eye to be informed in time what we offer, the places are unfortunately always very limited at our exclusive events.
UPDATE 3.11.21: Tasting sold out. Sign up in the Newsletter one for the next dates in early 2022!
Finally the time has come again!
A whisky tasting at the Japanese restaurant sansaro, where you will learn all about Japanese whisky.
Our speaker, Jürgen Liebenau, will talk about the current development of Japanese whisky, which investments are worthwhile and which are not - and we will taste some high-quality Japanese whisky together. Planned are currently:
- Chichibu CHIBIDARU (Single Malt)
- NIKKA Coffey Malt
- Nikka TAKETSURU 17
- Hakushu 12 (Single Malt)
- Yamazakura Cognac Cask Finish
The special thing about our tasting events, however, is as always the marriage with a fine food pairing, where our kitchen develops small specialties especially for these whiskies.
We'll be leaving more information in this blog article over the next few days - book your spot now for November 14!
This event is of course currently held under 3G rules: at the entrance we will check if you are tested, recovered or vaccinated, please have proof ready and understand that you cannot participate without proof.
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