Foo Fighters unveil an exclusive new Japanese sake

Collaboration between rock legends and an esteemed sake brewery is every bit as good as it sounds.

It’s not every day an American band announces it will be releasing its very own sake, but that’s what happened yesterday, when rock royalty Foo Fighters uploaded a surprising new video on their official YouTube channel.

The near two-minute clip shows Japanese brewers involved in the process of making sake, as the band’s track “Shame Shame” from their upcoming album Medicine at Midnight plays alongside the visuals.

Take a look at the video below:

The short clip, filmed in black-and-white like the official “Shame Shame” music video, was uploaded with the following message:

“To commemorate the release of ‘Medicine At Midnight’, Japanese sake brand “TATENOKAWA” that produces top quality Junmai Daiginjo sake has collaborated with Foo Fighters. Based on the preference of the sake-loving band members, TATENOKAWA has specially created two types of Daiginjo sake. Please enjoy ‘HANSHO (Midnight)’ while listening to their fantastic new album.”

While sake lovers were excited to hear about the unexpected collaboration, there was no additional information about the sake or what it actually is, which appeared to leave some viewers confused about what they’d seen, with comments like:

 “I don’t know what they are doing but it looks cool.”
“I honestly clicked and never read the title, I’m not sure what I expected but I stayed for ‘Shame Shame'”
“I don’t know what this is but I’m very excited.”
“For a second I thought you had collaborated with a Japanese band.”

For those new to the world of sake, or wanting to know more about the collaboration, Tatenokawa, the brand producing the limited-edition tipple, has been making sake at their brewery in Yamagata Prefecture for 180 years.  

The Foo Fighters, who say they love sake, remotely tested a number of different offerings from the brewery, and the sake they chose as their favourite was used to create two new varieties to mark the release of the band’s upcoming album.

Both varieties are classified as junmai daiginjo, which is regarded as the highest-grade sake. “Junmai” refers to a pure sake, made from only rice, water and koji mould, with no extra alcohol added, while “Daiginjo” is the term used for sake containing rice that has been highly polished, with at least 50-percent of the outer grain layer removed. This results in a sake that is easy to drink, with an elegant balance between acidity and umami.

The first Foo Fighters sake is called Foo Fighters x Tatenokawa Junmai Daiginjo Hansho Ao, with”Hansho Ao” translating to “Midnight Blue“.

Brewed with the “pop side” of Foo Fighters in mind, Hansho Ao uses 100-percent locally sourced Dewa rice from Yamagata Prefecture, polished to 50 percent. Said to display a gorgeous aroma with a gentle mouthfeel and light sweetness, Tatenokawa describes this sake as a combination that will “heal your daily fatigue and permeate your entire body“, which sounds like the same effects you’d get after listening to the band’s music.

The second limited-edition variety is the Foo Fighters × Tatenokawa Junmai Daiginjo Hansho Gin, with “Hansho Gin” translating to “Midnight Silver“.

This sake is based on the “rock side” of the Foos and is made with 50-percent polished Omachi rice sourced from Okayama Prefecture. According to Tatenokawa, this version displays an excellent depth and sharp aftertaste with a firm body to provide you with “vitality for tomorrow”.

Both 720-millilitre (24.3-ounce) bottles will retail for 3,080 yen (US$29.66) and become available on 5 February, to coincide with the band’s new album release. There’ll also be a “Foo Fighters × Tatenokawa Complete Box Set” containing both bottles and a copy of the new album sold in a special gift box, although price details for the product are yet to be announced.

The new collaboration items can be purchased through the brewery’s official online shop–where pre-orders will begin mid-late January–distributor stores, and Tower Records in Japan. While Tatenokawa does ship some sake internationally, the company is yet to announce whether they’ll offer international shipping for the new Foo Fighters sake. However, they do say they’ll be providing more details regarding availability shortly so be sure to check the site for updates.

Source: Tatenokawa
Featured image: Tatenokawa
Insert images: Tatenokawa, YouTube/Foo Fighters
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