• Prefecture: Gunma

• Rice & polishing: Yamasake No. 4 and Miyama Nishiki, polished to 90%

• Style: Kimoto Junmai, pasteurised

• Food pairings: Braised pork belly, grilled mackerel, yakitori with tare, aged cheese

• Taste: Powerful, deep, savoury, mature

• Alc.: 15%

A lightly polished Junmai brewed by the traditional kimoto method, with no cultured yeast added. The method produces plenty of nitrite, and only robust yeast survives the harsh environment of concentrated sugar and nitrite; that yeast gives the sake its powerful, deep flavour. Polished to just 90%, the rice also brings the mature richness typical of lightly milled sake. Enjoy it at room temperature or gently warmed alongside hearty, well-seasoned dishes.

SMV: +2.5

About the brewery

Makino Shuzo was founded in 1690 at Gonda in Kurabuchi, now part of Takasaki, and is Gunma's oldest sake brewery. It brews with clear subsoil water from the foot of the Haruna mountains and describes its style as clean but aromatic, handmade with a contemporary sensibility. The brewery is now run by Makino Kenjiro, the eighteenth-generation owner.

培養酵母を一切添加しない古式製法の 生酛造りで醸しました。独自の工夫に より亜硝酸が多く生成され、 濃糖圧迫や亜硝酸等による 過酷な環境を生き延びた 強靭な酵母が生み出す力強く奥深い 味わいと、低精白のお酒特有の 熟成感のある味わいです。