Infused with life, this namazake (unpasteurized) usunigori (lightly cloudy) junmai sake is bright, captivating-- notes of tropical fruit, coconut yogurt, pomelo, and savory white mushroom. Everyone I've served it to has so far been hypnotized by its not-so-subtle charms.
Master brewer Teruaki Hashimoto lets nature do much of the work at his brewery in Nara Prefecture. He lets the ambient temperature guide the style of sake he makes, using only natural lactobacilli. He also creates an unusually powerful koji that helps give this sake such a big mouthfeel. Brewed then rested for 18 months before release.
Stats:
- Rice: Gohyakumangoku, Hitogokochi
- Yeast: Natural wild
- Alcohol: 17.5%
- Polish: 60%
"Wow! What is that?" It's always hard to answer simply. Hanatomoe is one man's commitment to traditional methods of production, to ambient yeast, to the preservation of his local forestry industry and the old style of wooden aging and fermentation vessels that have long fallen out of favor. The toji-owner trained at Kenbishi-- ancient, shrouded in mystery-- and returned to his family brewery a changed man. Kenbishi's use of old techniques like yamahai, extended aging, wooden fermentation vessels, local rice varieties, changed Miyoshino Jozo and Hanatomoe brand forever. In his commitment to this new style of brewing, an 8 man brewing team became a one man team overnight.