IWA 5 blended sake by former Dom Perignon cellar master Richard Geoffroy. Through precise orchestration, five classes of elements sing in unison to create IWA 5. The rice class, for instance, comprises three varieties: Yamada Nishiki, Omachi, Gohyakumangoku. In the yeast class, five strains are brought together. Also brought into play are the origin of the rice, the yeast propagation method (moto) and the regimes of fermentation. The blend is the controlled interplay of these many instruments to define a world of possibilities and select the few ones worth pursuing and refining into euphony. It’s all there. In its right place. At the right moment.
Great presence, from the first glance down to the very last sip, through the seamless flow of a wide spectrum of characters. Perfectly balanced, weightless yet profound, intense and persistent.
FOUNDER – MAKER
Richard Geoffroy
Richard Geoffroy’s pursuit of beauty propelled him to the highest reaches of his profession. Born in the heart of Champagne country, he became the fifth chef de cave for Dom Pérignon Champagne and charted the course of the legendary wine for 28 years. He is now launching into a new experiment, hoping to contribute to a story started in Japan a thousand years ago: Sake.
To Richard Geoffroy, Japan has never been an abstraction. Following an initial spark in 1991, countless trips have stoked his love for the country, its culture and its people. IWA, therefore, could never be a sake engineered from abroad, a sake bereft of center. In order to be true to sake, and be a true international sake, IWA needed strong roots, anchored in Japan, and to be made according to traditional methods in a brewery of its own design.
IWA 5 is a new Japanese sake by former Chef de Cave at Dom Pérignon, Richard Geoffroy. The product of Richard’s deep respect for traditional Japanese sake and his affinity for innovation, IWA 5 embraces the distinct qualities of traditional sake while expanding its character. Invoking the motif of ‘5’ – the universal number of balance and harmony – IWA 5’s Assemblage demonstrates Geoffroy’s masterful blending, orchestrating three different rice varieties and five classes of yeast that blend to create unparalleled synergy and character.
- Brewery: Shiraiwa
- Classification: Junmai Daiginjo
- %ALC/VOL: 15%
- Net Volume: 720ml
- Rice: Yamadanishiki, Omachi, Gohyakumangoku
- Rice Polishing Rate: 35%
Serve
Lower temperatures. Reishu. 冷酒
From 5°C and above
Definitely tightens the Sake up. Starting from 1°C/2°C and above puts in motion a subtle play of textures, with an element of gentle, soft fruitiness – pip fruit, ripe pear.
Higher temperatures. Kanzake. 燗酒
35-37°C Hitohadakan 人肌燗
Sensuous. Immaterial and fluffy, a seamless glide. Sourdough, praline.
45°C Jokan 上燗
Amazingly soft, somewhat spherical. The viscosity and silky texture are fusional. Italian anise biscotti, custard.
55°C Tobikirikan 飛び切り燗
A glorified character of rice. Thicker, grainy and slightly astringent. Roasted rice.
Matching Food
IWA 5 has an intriguing capacity to pair with a great array of foods: the Sake has sort of an inherent versatility to consistently, ingeniously adjust itself right to the level of the food, sensibly, from the delicate to the robust, from light to dark flavors. IWA 5 can pair successive dishes throughout one single meal.
Assemblage
The making of IWA 5 is synonymous with the striving for perfect balance, by design. Such ambition cannot be achieved through a single brew – Assemblage is the answer.
IWA 5’s unique balance makes its richness astoundingly weightless. Complexity is inherent to Assemblage as well, arising from the diversity of the elemental characteristics.
Assemblage is the art form of blending. It is IWA’s signature. IWA 5’s Assemblage adds a new paradigm to the existing paradigm, a new layer in the long established process of rice polishing. The more elements comprise it, the more robust the balance and the better the Assemblage.