Mirin

Traditional Mikawa Mirin—A Japanese liqueur

Mirin is a sweet cooking wine known as the secret star of Japanese cuisine. Aichi Prefecture's Mikawa region is regarded as the home of mirin and boasts the nationwide brand of Mikawa Mirin.
Mikawa Mirin originally comes from a brewery in Hekinan City which continues even today production using traditional methods. The city once prospered thanks to its sake brewing industry and was blessed with the perfect climate for brewing as well as a location along the ocean, allowing for marine transportation. Mirin is said to have come about when brewers noticed all the sake lees left over from sake brewing. They happened upon mirin upon distillation to create a version of shochu rice liquor made from the lees and began shipping the mirin to Edo, or present-day Tokyo. Sugar was not always readily available during the Edo period (1603–1868), so sweet mirin was a treasured substitute. It was often used with soup for soba noodles and even drunk by itself as a sweet sake. It is still used today during the New Year holiday in the traditional otoso sake.

Mirin is traditionally brewed with rice koji and shochu rice liquor mixed with steamed rice. To differentiate this authentic mirin from imitation mirins using brewer's alcohol, syrups, and other sugars, true mirins are referred to as "authentic hon mirin" and "pure rice hon mirin".
Mikawa Mirin is also gaining popularity by top chefs and pastry chefs overseas as a Japanese liqueur. The sophisticated, mellow sweetness and depth of flavor born from the glutinous rice used helps to add a shine to the ingredients it is incorporated with, reduce odors, keep ingredients from breaking down when simmered, and help in many other ways when cooking.

Take a trip back in time with your eyes and tastebuds to the Edo period at Mikawa Mirin's mecca: Kokonoe Mirin

We went out to Kokonoe Mirin in the Mikawa region's city of Hekinan to unravel the history of Aichi's mirin industry. Kokonoe Mirin's manufacturing plant has been around since the Edo period and is home to the brewery where the Mikawa Mirin brand began. Put another way, this is the Mikawa Mirin mecca. And oh boy was there much to see during the guided tour at the mirin factory, at the restaurant and cafe serving mirin dishes, and at the shop. Take in Mikawa Mirin's allure both visually and orally.

So many worthwhile exhibits during the mirin factory tour!

For more than 250 years since its establishment, Kokonoe Mirin has kept the traditional techniques of mirin production alive and well. Place a reservation in advance to join a guided tour of the factory floor and tank room where the mirin is wrung and poured into giant containers*.
Next, the tour takes you to the Time Hall on the building's second floor where you can watch educational videos on how mirin is made. The exhibition room displays precious documents, old tools, and other artifacts with explanations by staff on Mikawa Mirin's history, mirin varieties and characteristics, and other tantalizing facts.

Note:
• Actual work may not be in occurrence at the time of the tour.

Approximate 18-liter jugs manufactured in nearby Tokoname City decorate the entrance to the mirin factory

Mash is poured into sake bags which will be pressed to separate the mirin liquid in the tank room
Account ledgers and all sorts of other irreplaceable relics are on display at the Time Hall. (Bouffant caps required for the tour. Excluded here for photographic purposes.)

Mouthwatering mirin bistro at K-An Restaurant & Cafe

One thing you have to check out together with your guided tour is K-An Restaurant & Cafe. The founder's residence was renovated to continue offering a quaint atmosphere as you enjoy lunch and sweets using mirin. You'll be surprised at the number of uses employed with mirin, from its supporting role in bringing out ingredients' inherent flavors to the syrup served with pudding. But this eatery is popular with a full house even on weekdays, so it might be a good idea to make a reservation in advance.

Bon appetite with mirin cuisine and a beautiful garden view

Mirin Cubed Pork Set: Soft cubed, stewed pork with seasonal appetizers
Mikawa Pudding with boiled-down mirin syrup

Shopping at the store and a stroll around the Large Storehouse

And next, we were on our way to the adjacent and company-run Shop Ishikawa Hachirouji for a little perusing of Kokonoe Mirin merchandise. The signature product, Kokonoe Sakura authentic mirin; popular Soft Mirin Lees Paste, perfect for fish and meat marinades; potato chips and their gentle sweetness; and a number of other items line the shelves. If you're unsure of which mirin to choose, you can check them out at the tasing area. Takeout items like mirin soft serve ice cream, available at the shop only, is renowned for its flavor.
Last of all was a walk around the premises. Walking along the charming path, you come upon the Large Storehouse where Mikawa Mirin made its beginnings, available to view as you like from the outside. The national tangible cultural property-designated building is more than 300 years old and still houses mirin.
If you look at the stones making up the building's base, it turns black away bit of the way down. This is proof of a once higher sea level, which stained the rocks, at the height of mirin production during the Edo period. Ships would dock just outside the factory, taking on loads of mirin. This literal look at the past helps tour participants feel a bit of yesteryear.