Kiminoi Yamahai Junmai Ginjo "Emperor's Well" (08/2024 bottling)
- In stock, ready to ship
Kiminoi's yamahai is a product of its environment: snow melt flowing underground from the base of nearby Mt. Myoko, natural refrigeration from the 2 meters of snowfall Arai-juku sees annually, and a robust colony of lactic bacteria and house yeast living in the rafters and wooden equipment.
This 2024 bottling is showing strong! Medium bodied and leaning towards (but not quite) dry, with mature notes of candied apricot, banana pudding, savory herbs, and butter-fried mushroom stems. Best enjoyed at room temperature to hot- the notes that make this sake stand out are muted at cold temperatures.
We were able to pick up the last 9 bottles of 2024 from the distributor at a discount after tasting them, and falling in love. A case in point for gentle yamahai maturation and a lovely pickup for any yamahai fan.
From our Winter 2026 Club write-up:
In the Edo period (1601-1868), gold from Sado, rice from Niigata's plains, and salt from the Joetsu coast made their way to Edo and Kyoto markets via the Hokkoku Kaido, today the route of the Hokuriku shinkansen. Along with trade, this highway was vital to feudal daimyo who were required to spend every other year living in the capital under the Shogun's watchful eye. As daimyo traveled, they demanded sake for themselves and their entourage, so even small post towns like Arai-juku, in the heart of Niigata's snow country, gave rise to breweries. Thus Tanaka Sake Shop was founded in 1842 to serve the (waning) needs of traveling dignitaries and merchants. Though its name changed to Kiminoi in 1951, the Tanaka family has long espoused the poet's philosophy of fueki ryuukou (不易流行）, an acknowledgement of the balance between the immutable and the fashionable. Kiminoi's sake is old school, but there's a throughline of innovation that connects it to the present. For example, in the wake of back-to-back seasons of nationwide microbial spoilage in 1920, Daigoro Tanaka became an early adopter of enamel tanks in Niigata-- moving away from porous wood. In the 70s, the Tanakas resurrected the much-forgotten yamahai method, which they now use exclusively. Within their otherwise modern brewery, wooden tools are still used for gradual temperature control, itself an example of fueki ryuukou.
Mushroom tarts with Gruyere and Herbes de Provence, Texas chili, simmered beef & burdock. Frankly, any sort of soy-braised vegetable. Also lovely with a nibble of dark chocolate!