Chiyonosono Junmai Ginjo "Sacred Power"

Chiyonosono Junmai Ginjo has this gorgeous texture when chilled, that strikes me as utterly unique-- fuzzy, velveteen, smooth-- with flavors dialed in to perfect balance and clarity. Kombu dashi, velvety soft anjou pear, hay, chamomile, and salty sea spray.

"Sacred Power," a direct translation of shinriki, is made with 100% Shinriki rice. Shinriki is a old rice variety native to Honshu and very difficult to grow. It grows about 3x the height of standard crossbreeding rice. To grow it requires a lot of skill and patience. As a result Shinriki was long thought lost to time, falling out of cultivation for decades. The family's history with Shinriki encouraged them to bring it back: a distant relative of Chiyonosono in the late 1800s helped develop the sake-brewing strain of Shinriki that is used today.

So it’s very difficult to grow— it’s hard to find farmers willing to grow it. And it needs to be personally certified by a representative from the government every year to be an official sake rice for Kumamoto prefecture. Someone has to take a plane from Tokyo, drive out to the fields, and physically certify the rice every time. It’s a huge pain, so Chiyonosono tried to ask the importer if they could change the rice up a bit, or maybe use a blend of rice to make this product. However, the importer Kome Collective would not accept this and insisted on 100% Kumamoto shinriki rice. As a result, the Sacred Power we get is ONLY exported to the US— the Japanese version is a blend! If you visit the brewery, you can’t even try this 100% Shinriki sake. It's a US exclusive, and it sure is fantastic!