SAT 001 / URAZATO
MELON
Melon Cotton Candy is described as having a bright aroma reminiscent of melon. That is sensory language, not a one-compound claim.
SAT 001 / URAZATO →AROMA / SENSORY LANGUAGE
Japanese Sake
Aroma
Banana. Melon. Apple. Use the aroma words you already know as a way into sake. The molecule names can come later.AROMA ≠ ONE MOLECULE
AROMA
From aroma,
to sake.
Sake can be described through fruit, flowers, dairy-like notes, grains, maturation, sulfur-like notes and much more.
The National Research Institute of Brewing's sensory terminology for sake includes fruit-like descriptors such as banana, apple, pear, melon, strawberry and citrus. It is fine to begin with a simple question: what did the aroma remind you of?
BANANAFRUIT-LIKE
Banana-like. Isoamyl acetate is a representative reference compound used for this descriptor in sake sensory evaluation.
MELONFRUIT-LIKE
Melon-like is also a recognized sensory term. We do not turn “melon” into a one-molecule equation.
APPLEFRUIT-LIKE
Apple-like. Ethyl hexanoate, also called ethyl caproate, is one representative ginjo-aroma ester.
BUTTERYDAIRY-LIKE / DIACETYL
A direction reminiscent of butter or dairy. Diacetyl is one of the compounds with a standard reference in sake sensory evaluation.
SULFURSULFUR-LIKE
Sulfur-like is another sensory category. Concentration and the surrounding aroma matrix can change the impression dramatically.
FLORALFLOWER-LIKE
Floral and rose-like language gives another axis beyond fruit.
AROMA ≠ ONE MOLECULE
Do not make
one aroma one molecule.
If a sake smells “banana-like,” that does not mean its aroma is made only from isoamyl acetate.
The sensory impression depends on the concentrations and thresholds of multiple volatile compounds, their interactions, the sake matrix—including alcohol, sugar and acids—and temperature. The same compound can sit inside a different overall balance and lead to a different sensory word.
SENSORY LANGUAGE / CHEMISTRYSensory language describes what a person perceives. Aroma chemistry describes what compounds are present. The two are related, but causation should not be asserted without analysis.
AROMA MOLECULES
A few names
behind the aroma.
These are representative aroma compounds often referenced when discussing sake. Think of them as part of an aroma vocabulary, not as analytical results for any SAKE ART TOKYO bottle.
- Isoamyl acetate酢酸イソアミル
- A representative ester associated with banana-like aroma and used as a reference for that descriptor in sake sensory evaluation.
- Ethyl hexanoateETHYL CAPROATE / カプロン酸エチル
- A representative ester commonly discussed in relation to apple-like, fruity ginjo aroma.
- Ethyl acetate酢酸エチル
- An ester with its own reference category in sake sensory evaluation. Its impression changes with concentration and context.
- Diacetylジアセチル
- A compound often discussed through buttery or dairy-like sensory language, and included among sake sensory reference standards.
- Dimethyl trisulfideDMTS
- One sulfur-related compound. NRIB storage research reports examples in which DMTS increases during sake maturation.
IN THE COLLECTION
Bring the words
back to the bottle.
SAT 002 / TSUCHIDA
BANANA / CACAO
Chocolate Banana Muffin uses banana and cacao as sensory descriptions. They do not identify a causative molecule by analysis.
SAT 002 / TSUCHIDA →FERMENTATION PLAYGROUND / COMING NEXT
AROMA LAB
An interactive room for connecting aroma motifs and molecules. Once the migration is ready, this page will become the doorway.
SOURCE
The language
behind the page.
The aroma categories and representative reference compounds follow terminology from Japan's National Research Institute of Brewing. Its storage research is also used for the note on aroma changes during maturation.
National Research Institute of Brewing — sake sensory terminology and standards (Japanese PDF)National Research Institute of Brewing — FY2021 research results (Japanese)