Prefecture: Gifu
Rice & polishing: Gohyakumangoku (koji rice, polished to 70%) and Nihonbare (kake rice, polished to 75%)
Style: Aged Junmai koshu, hiyaoroshi (autumn release)
Food pairings: Blue cheese, char siew, roast duck, dark chocolate
Taste: Sweet, distinct acidity, thick, mellow
An aged Junmai koshu made with 1.5 times the usual amount of koji rice, giving it the sweetness and umami of the rice. After the standard three-stage preparation, the mash ferments slowly; then, on the morning of pressing, a fourth addition of koji amazake and a fifth of ready-made yeast starter are added. The result is sweet, with distinct acidity and a thick, even viscosity. Delightful chilled and mellow at room temperature, it is a good introduction for anyone new to koshu. A limited release.
About the brewery
Shiraki Tsunesuke Shoten was founded in Gifu City in 1835 and brews under the Daruma Masamune name, adopted when the brewery was rebuilt after the Nobi earthquake, after the daruma doll that always gets back up. From the 1960s it chose to concentrate almost entirely on koshu, or long-aged sake, and now holds one of Japan's deepest stocks of vintage sake. It is led by Shiraki Shigeri, the seventh-generation head.
麹を通常の1.5 倍使用し、お米由来の甘さと旨味をたっぷり溶け込ませた純米酒です。通常の 3 段仕込みを終えてからじっくり発酵させ、上槽（お酒を搾る日）の午前中に麹の甘酒四段と、あらかじめ造っておいた酒母五段を足します。甘口ですが酸があるので全体の味わいはしっかりと引き締まっています。冷やしても良し、常温はもちろんお燗にしてもまろやかです。限定品です。ぜひご賞味ください。酒度：30 、原料米：麹米 五百万石、掛米 日本晴 、精米歩合：麹米 70% 掛米 75%
