Higher protein content does not mean better fish sauce as anything higher than 43* degrees protein content can only come from a bigger fish or from a mechanical machine enhanced process. Bigger fishes eat smaller fishes vs anchovies only eating plankton (plant) as well as having a much smaller stomach. Fish sauce made from bigger fishes will have a heavy fishy stench (fermentation of their guts). Mechanical machines can also be used to pull out H2O from the fish sauce to create a higher protein content ratio. Fish sauce protein content rating is based on the amount in grams of nitrogen / liter.
Once a month we will only open a few barrels as it takes 12 months to ferment, this will also ensure that once it's opened, it will be bottled right away to lock in all the best characteristics of the fish sauce. This is very important as even if you have a high protein content quality batch, but leave it around in storage for months before bottling it, well the rest is an obvious goodbye to that richness of smell & flavor.
Landscape features of Son Rai Island allow us to make Son Fish Sauce that is pure from any human or chemical pollutants.
In the fish sauce industry today, our time-honored tradition is no longer revered as it is not profitable and is over 1 Year Old to make. Engineered bacteria is used to speed up the process down to only 3 months from start to finish to make fish sauce.
Chemical salt is used to cut down costs of sea salt, msg to enhance flavor from low protein fishes without having to use anchovies, sugar/fructose is added for flavor and color, and many types of fishes are thrown into the mix. Many brands are actually now buying leftover dried fish, grinding them up into a powder and just mixing them with regular water to sell as fish sauce at a profit. Vietnamese name fish sauce is now made from artificial flavoring, chemicals, and in distant factories nowhere near Vietnam.
After the fish sauce has been made we thoroughly wash our barrels clean and begin the process all over again. This stands us apart because other fish sauce makers never wash their barrels since they want to use any fish parts left to increase their protein level, however, this is also the cause of a heavy fishy stench that is normally associated with commercial fish sauce.
We only bottle the first 3 presses of our fish sauce to sell, whereas average industry standards are only from 12-16* degrees protein content, which is pretty much the 6th or 7th presses.
Smell the aroma of our culture & heritage. We hope you enjoy our fish sauce as much as we love making it, we are very glad that you have a bottle of ours to share with your family & friends. As you can see, with this time-honored tradition, please understand that we can only bottle so much fish sauce a month and throughout the year as we are of artisanal production. This is a natural product, so once it's open, please consume within 30 days for the best taste & flavor. Always keep the cap closed to prevent air exposure, and if you like, refrigerate after opening. Sea salt may naturally crystallize on the bottom of the bottle (that's because we don't use preservatives), this does not affect the fish sauce in any way, just nature taking its course.