Niwa no Uguisu Doburoku
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Niwa no Uguisu contains only 6% alcohol by volume, making it very(!) easy to drink and well suited to a lazy afternoon. It’s delightfully thick with grains of rice, and has a nice fruity aroma. If you feel like nigori just isn't cutting it, and you need something really substantial, well...
Doburoku isn't usually a complex flavor, but it's comforting and lovely, nourishing and even healthy-feeling like amazake. Notes of apple, peach, melon, kiwi, a bit of tart grapefruit, and soft fresh mochi. If you’re a fan of Calpis, Yakult, white Ramune, or even drinkable kefir, you’ll probably be a huge fan of this light-hearted doburoku! I adore it, and special order cases year after year...and even despite a substantial price increase (SO bummed), it's a real beauty.
A Love Letter to Doburoku
Adapted from Sunflower Sake Club writeup, March 2022
Yamaguchi Shuzojo, 山口酒造場
Est. 1832
Location: Kurume-shi, Fukuoka prefecture
Grade: Grades are not technically assigned to doburoku, but based on the polishing level this would qualify as a junmai ginjo.
Brand: Niwa no Uguisu
Prefecture: Fukuoka
Rice: Yumeikkon
Polishing: 60%
Yeast: Proprietary
Starter: Sokujo
The largest river in the Kyushu region of Japan is the Chikugogawa. The abundance of pure, clean water in the Chikugo region is said to have given birth to one of the three largest sake-brewing regions in Japan; many breweries were born there. The brewer of Niwa no Uguisu (aka. “Garden's Nightingale”) is Yamaguchi Shuzojo: located in northern Chikugo. The very first brewers of Yamaguchi Shuzojo loved to watch the Japanese nightingales in the garden playing in the water and drinking in the gardens. When the 6th generation family head Yamaguchi Risuke saw this, he made the decision to brew sake using that water.
A funky charcuterie board. A bacon and blue burger with jammy red onions. Frankly, I can't NOT mention Marie Chiba's iconic gorgonzola ham croquette and doburoku pairing here.
