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Byron Stithem of Nashville's Proper Saké Co. didn't get into the saké business just because he saw an opening in the city's burgeoning fermentation scene, as distilleries and breweries continue to pop up all over town. He has a true passion for his project, born out of years of research and experimentation.
'I've been working on the recipes for the better part of a decade,” Stithem says. 'I came to Nashville to go to school at Belmont to study business, and then I got involved in the culinary and fermentation scenes while helping to open restaurants.”
Later, while working at notable spots, like Clover Club in New York, Stithem was exposed to the possibilities of fermentation, both in the kitchen and behind the bar. He returned to Nashville to be the culinary director of Dinnerlab, a pop-up restaurant series that introduced many local diners to exotic new flavorsand that's when Stithem bagan his experiments in earnest.
The primary ingredient in this sort of fermentation is koji, a particular form of mold used to kickstart fermentation in many Asian food and drink items, ranging from soy sauce and fermented bean paste to rice vinegar and saké. Like a temperamental sourdough starter, this super enzyme requires almost constant attention. Stithem acquired his particular koji spore from Japan and maintains samples of it in multiple incubators at Proper Saké's manufacturing location and tasting room on Ewing Avenue.
'When I'm making saké, there is something to be doing for 48 hours straight to keep the koji propagating and to manage the temperature to ensure a successful fermentation,” Stithem explains.
He inoculates saké-grade rice that is grown especially for his product in Arkansas and, then, milled in Minnesota. He steams the rice and, then, adds koji, yeast, and water in progressively larger batches to create a little more than 100 gallons of saké. 'The entire process takes four to five weeks to complete the fermentation, with five to six full days of labor steaming the rice, pressing the mash, and bottling,” Stithem says. The labor is worth it, though, as the result is three unique varieties of saké, each hand-pasteurized and bottled at the peak of freshness. Unlike those hot sakés you once drank alongside your California rolls, these beverages are best served between 45 and 55 degrees to show off the subtleties of the grain. Much drier than most commercial sakés, Proper Saké can also be served warmed to around 110 degrees.
'They taste like two totally different beverages at different temperatures,” Stithem promises. At 18 percent ABV, it also packs a bit of an alcoholic punchbut not so much that you can't enjoy two servings with a meal.
Available at local restaurants and bars, Proper Saké comes both as a draft product and in eight-ounce bottles. In fact, the product has the ability to age nicely in the bottles as it develops even more complex flavors over time. Perhaps the best place to sample it is in the tastings room, a spot specifically designed to immerse patrons in the saké culture, sort of like a rice-wine clubhouse. Decorated with natural materials, the space exudes a zen-like calmness, with low lighting and chill music playing in the background, as experienced saké fans and new converts taste their way through flights of Stithem's products. Whether you try the more traditional Diplomat variety or the drier and citrusy Grand Parlay, Proper Saké has something new, and extraordinary, for all palates.
Tasting Notes
The Diplomat
The Diplomat junmai is brewed with a #9 varietal of saké yeast. This traditional brew is intended to reach a wide audience, with a diplomatic balance of complexity and sweetness. The aromas are soft and round, with hints of vanilla and coconut, while the palate showcases a buttery texture, counterbalanced with notes of bright apple cider and a delicate amount of residual sugar.
The Diplomat Unfiltered
The unfiltered version of the Diplomat offers similar notes to the filtered, but with the added texture and complexity of a nigori, unfiltered saké. This particular unfiltered is a real star with spicy foods and cuisine best balanced by full bodied beverage.
Grand Parlay
Grand Parlay is a junmai saké, brewed with a strain of saison yeast that is also commonly used to produce fortified wines. This 'parlay” of western and eastern cultures creates a beverage that combines the flavors and textures of saké with the pleasant astringency of a white wine and the complex aromas of a farmhouse ale. Tasting notes include soft grapefruit, lime, and some earthiness reminiscent of a saison-style beer.
628 Ewing Ave, propersake.co