Gokyo Kimoto Junmai Ginjo Kiokezukuri Akiagari "5 Orange"
- In stock, ready to ship
[1cs arriving mid-December]
The Gokyo 5 series are expressions of sake brewed in kioke: that is, traditional
large wooden barrels of 1-5000 L capacity, made from sugi (cryptomeria) wood.
Utilized for >100 years in some cases, kioke don’t usually confer wood flavors (as
in oak barrels), but do add unique character by hosting a unique microbial
population in the pores of the wood & supplying oxygen during the fermentation.
By preparing Blue with the ~350 year old kimoto method which utilizes wild
bacteria to create acidity, Gokyo’s kioke evolve, and in turn, the “5” series as well.
Sakai Shuzo, 酒井酒造
Product (nihongo): 五橋 Fiveオレンジ 純米吟醸生原酒 生酛
Location: Yamaguchi Prefecture
Rice: Yamadanishiki (kojimai), Nihonbare (kakemai) (both Yamaguchi)
Polish: 55%
Yeast: Kumamoto KA4 (A variant of #901)
SMV: +4
Acidity: 1.3
ABV: 15%
Other: Kioke fermented, yon-dan jikomi (four stage fermentation), ultra-soft Nishiki River well water from 10, 30, & 40m depths
Founded in 1871, and formally established in 1950, Sakai Shuzo has been brewing in the same location by the Nishiki River for 150 years. A brewery exclusively staffed by Yamaguchi natives, locally sourced rice and soft water, kioke barrels made from local trees, and even distilled alcohol for futsushuu made from local rice- Sakai is Yamaguchi jizake through and through. From brewery President Sakai Hideki himself, “Everything that we are, everything that we have, comes from the local community. They are our customers, and our suppliers. We make the best we can for them, and they repay us by buying and enjoying our sake.” And in a prefecture known for breweries that reach global audiences, Sakai is proud to sell the vast majority of their product to the local market.
The Gokyo brand is named after the iconic Kintai bridge that spans Nishikigawa- a local treasure and popular tourist spot for cherry blossom and autumn foliage viewing since its construction in 1673.