Hakutsuru Nigori Yuzushu (720 ml)

Founded in 1743 by Jihei Kano in East Nada Ward, Kobe, Hakutsuru built its reputation on miyamizu — the mineral-dense hard spring water drawn from the Rokko Mountain aquifer, high in potassium, phosphorus, and calcium, that drives vigorous fermentation and the region's signature dry, structured otoko-zake profile. The Nigori Yuzushu deliberately inverts that house character: where the brewery's core range pursues crisp dryness, this expression layers yuzu citrus into a coarse-mesh filtered nigori, retaining suspended rice sediment for texture and body that the standard lineup never courts.

Production follows Hakutsuru's in-house proprietary yeast strains and koji cultivation in a humidity- and temperature-controlled koji-muro, with moromi fermentation supported by the cold Rokko oroshi wind descending from Mt. Rokko toward the Seto Inland Sea. The nigori filtration method — a mesh pass rather than full pressing — leaves rice solids in suspension, yielding a 12.5% ABV bottling that is notably lighter than most sake expressions. The yuzu addition is the transgression: no other expression in the Hakutsuru range introduces a botanical element, making this an outlier from Japan's #1-selling sake house. Drink well-chilled and shake gently before pouring; no vintage dating applies.