Taste
Complex taste not found in other sake
The color of this sake comprises hues of yellow and green with a hint of a light mist. The aroma is rich and complex, with notes evocative of loquat and banana confit, chamomile tea, yogurt, sour cream, fermented butter, other dairy-like notes in harmony with rice cooked in earthenware; the hints of honey, coriander seed-like white spice notes, and notes of iodine add to its complexity. The taste of this sake has a well-balanced harmony — from the light sweetness to the umami that gives it roundness. Its brilliant acidity imparts breadth, and the richness of body lasts into the aftertaste. The finish also has a long-lasting, dairy-like aroma.
Concept
Completely additive-free
Additive-free brewing: We brew the sake using the kimoto method, established in the Edo period. We do not add ingredients that are not required by law to be mentioned on the label. We add no lactic acid, enzymatic agents, or even yeast. Instead, we wait for the ambient yeasts that live in the brewery to drop down from the air and naturally brew the sake. The product is an additive-free sake that is made with only rice, koji, water, and the microorganisms that live in the brewery.
Brewery's commitments
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Edible Rice
The sake is made using Yuki Hotaka rice from Kawaba Village, the home of our brewery. The rice has won gold awards in competitions in Japan for more than 10 years. This isn't sake-exclusive rice. Rice used exclusively for brewing sake is not that pleasing to the palate. We take delicious to eat, locally grown rice and turn it into sake.
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Edible Rice, Just the Way it is
For brewing sake, heavily polishing off the outer layers of rice grains has become the norm nowadays. This sake is made using rice with the same polishing ratio as the rice on your dinner table — in other words, it is virtually unpolished. As polishing the rice tends to expend large amounts of electricity — our brewing method is also friendly towards the environment.
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The Brewery's Ambient Fermenting Yeast
The sake is made using microorganisms that live in the brewery. Our method is a revival of a lost technique that is rarely practiced in present-day Japan. Our brewery is home to more than 140 types of yeast fungi, and we cannot know which sake will they settle on to. As a result, the fungi change from one year to another, and so does the taste of the sake. It is truly a sake of which the kami — the spirits of nature — determine the taste.
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Best Stored at Room Temperature
The brewing technique — dating back to the time before refrigerators — makes the sake strong and robust. It is a sake whose flavor keeps growing. And thus, to make its taste develop even further, the sake is best stored and served at room temperature. When the bottle is stored at room temperature after uncorking, the sake becomes smoother and mellower as it comes into contact with the air. It is also environmentally friendly since it does not require refrigeration.
Brewer's recommendations
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Uncork and Let it Rest
It needs to be stored at room temperature — even after the bottle has been uncorked. It can be served chilled or on the rocks. Our recommendation covers a wide range — from room temperature to a warm 60°C. The sake's powerful flavor pairs well with international cuisine too. We recommend pairing it with the cuisine of your country.
Basic product information
Product name | Shin Tsuchida GI Tone-Numata Yuki Hotaka |
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Sake rice | Yukihotaka |
Polish rate | 90% |
Alc.15%