300 ml bottle - Taiwan
The first thing you notice is the very delicate shape of the bottle and it is indeed a reflection of the treat inside.
To the nose, the flavor of the smell is distinctly different than the shoyu’s of Japan. This soy sauce is gentler, not as round or filling in the nostril, it feels thinner or perhaps the descriptor is lighter than shoyu.
To my nose and olfactory memory when smelling the Japanese Tamari shoyu to this Soy Sauce from Taiwan, they are distinctly different!
The Amber River Soy is clear, complex, where the flavor rolls through the mouth and then rises in the back and then leaves a salty tongue. More pointy in its presentation. It lingers longer in a nice way. It, as well, when it leaves, it leaves with almost no trace. And that is nice.
Nestled in the heart of Xiluo Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan, Yu Ding Xing has been a renowned producer of traditional Taiwanese soy sauce for three generations. Founded in 1958, this family-owned brewery maintains its artisanal approach to soy sauce making.
Their commitment to traditional techniques, including long fermentation and wood-firing, creates a distinct flavor profile and preserves Taiwan's culinary heritage.
The creation of this Amber River Soy Sauce is made from black soybeans, unlike the yellow soybeans used in many other parts of Asia.
The black soybeans grown in the south of Taiwan are known for their rich black color, sweet, and nutty flavor. They have a mellower taste compared to the yellow variety, and are rich in protein content and a richer concentration of certain antioxidants and phytonutrients due to their dark outer shell, compared to other soybean varieties. This protein gives the Amber River Soy Sauce its exemplary savory feel.
The process of making this traditional Taiwanese soy sauce is an intricate one. At its core, it consists of just a few ingredients: local black soybeans, sea salt, water, and sugar. But the magic lies in the meticulous methods of fermentation (8 days instead of 2) and aging in earthenware pots in the sun, which can take up to a year or more.
The now fermented beans are heated over wood-fires to halt the fermentation process. The use of wood over more modern fuels such as gas, takes more time, and keeps the the traditional handmade brewing technique unique.
This results in a soy sauce that is complex in flavor, with a depth not found in the mass-produced soy sauces.
This commitment to tradition, process and control to sourcing all the ingredients in Taiwan makes for a very special ingredient.
The family is located near the Zhuoshui River between Yunlin and Changhua Counties, about 214 kilometres south from The Grand Hotel in Tapei. You might know of the brilliant-red Xiluo Bridge. This bridge was started under Japanese rule and completed with American funding in the early 50’s. At the time of its opening in 1953 this 1.9-kilometer-long Warren truss bridge was the world’s second-longest bridge, ranking only behind San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge at the time.
ingredients: water, single-origin non-gmo taiwanese black soybeans, sea salt, sugar