Junmai (1.8 L)

Kiku Masamune traces its lineage to 1659 in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, where the brewery's access to soft water from the Rokko Mountains became its defining asset. This junmai (pure rice sake, no added alcohol) represents the house style: restraint over extraction.

The sake employs sokujo fermentation—a rapid, temperature-controlled process that prioritizes clean yeast metabolism over prolonged maceration. Brewed from locally-sourced rice polished to 70% (a junmai-standard ratio that retains protein and mineral character), the mash ferments in temperature-managed tanks, yielding a dry profile (estimated 4–6 g/L residual sugar) with mineral backbone from Hyogo's mineral-light brewing water.

The special feature: this is a food-pairing workhorse, not a showcase sake. Kiku Masamune's junmai carries no oak aging, no extended aging in bottle—it is meant to move through the market fresh and to accompany meals. The 1.8 L format signals household/restaurant use, not collector status.

Drink current; junmai of this profile peaks within 12–18 months of bottling.