Kozaemon Shiroku Junmai Kabosu Sake (500 ml)

Founded in 1702 by Nakashima Kozaemon in Mizunami City, Gifu, this brewery has spent over three centuries refining umakuchi — a deliberate, rice-forward richness built on pronounced umami and gentle natural sweetness, a direct counter-position to the light, dry tanrei karakuchi style that dominated Japan's post-1970s market. Shiroku Junmai Kabosu extends that philosophy into flavoured sake territory by incorporating kabosu, a tart, aromatic Japanese citrus native to Oita Prefecture, into a no-added-alcohol Junmai base. The brewery's water source — a natural underground spring fed by snowmelt from Mt. Byobu (Byobuzan) — flows through Mizunami's 70%-forested, cool-humid microclimate, supporting the slow fermentation that builds the textural backbone kabosu acidity then cuts through. Koji is cultivated at approximately 98% humidity to maximise enzyme activity, and the house employs four-stage (yodan) fermentation — a fourth rice-and-water addition beyond the standard three-stage sandan shikomi — extracting deeper umami than conventional brewing achieves. What makes this expression categorically unusual is the pairing of that amplified umami base with kabosu's sharp, yuzu-adjacent tartness: the citrus does not sweeten the sake but instead sharpens its savouriness, functioning more like a seasoning than a flavouring. As a non-vintage blend, it is intended for immediate enjoyment, with the kabosu brightness at its most vivid within 12 months of release.