Abe Junmai
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Big grapefruit and tangerine zestiness on the nose- sets you up for something quite crisp but has a texture so slippery and silky you wouldn’t believe it’s made with 80% polished rice. The citrus meets a bubblegummy sweetness on the mid-palate, but there's this deep umami tying it down and keeping it balanced. Very fun, very juicy-fruit gum!
In a junmai glass the savory aspects come out better, but in a wine glass it’s more peppy and fruity.
I know it’s not a natsuzake but it feels like it fits in the category spiritually. It’s like [Akabu] Hisui’s hippie cousin.
Lovers of Kaze no Mori, Tenbi, Senkin, take note of this New-Gen Niigata phenom!
Abe Shuzo, 阿部酒造
Founded 1804
Location: Niigata Prefecture
Rice: Niigata Rice
Polish: 80%
Yeast: Niigata G9
Acidity: n/a
SMV: n/a
Alcohol: 14-16%
Nearly another victim of an industry on the decline, Abe Shuzo almost shut its doors for good in 2013. But in 2015, 6th generation leader Yuta Abe assumed control of the family brewery with a fresh attitude. Abe and his young, passionate team of brewers are guided by their intellectual curiosity and the tenet of enjoying the whims of fermentation. There’s no strict framework here, the brewers at Abe Shuzo simply brew the sake they want to brew and drink themselves.
Leaning into their love of fermentation, no two brewing lots are exactly alike. Fermentation is stopped not when the alcohol level hits a certain percentage, but when the brewers feel the flavor has reached its peak. Yeast and rice are listed on tech with the addendum that it may be different depending on the lot. Yet year to year, though the rice used may change, 100% of it is contracted from farmers in the brewery’s hometown of Kashiwazaki.
The Abe Shuzo of today spares no time and effort to make sake that is not only delicious, but contributes to Kashiwazaki’s community.
Yakitori, fried chicken, tuna poke