Dassai Junmai Daiginjou Migaki Sanwari Kyubu 39 (720 ml)

When Hiroshi Sakurai launched the Dassai brand in 1990, he made a commitment that remains almost without parallel in Japanese brewing: every single expression in the range would be Junmai Daiginjo — no lower grades, no blended tiers, no seasonal shortcuts. The 39 sits at the productive heart of that commitment.

The brewery occupies a mountain valley in Shuto-cho, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the regional water is classified Seiryu — exceptionally soft, low-mineral clear-stream water, purified further on-site. Soft water produces a gentler, more delicate fermentation character, amplifying the aromatic lift that 61% milling of Yamada Nishiki — the most prized sake rice variety — makes possible at this seimaibuai.

Rice is washed in 10 kg batches in running water and soaked approximately 15 minutes; koji is applied entirely by hand. Two parallel brewing teams run simultaneous fermentations at differing water-absorption rates and temperatures, comparing results batch by batch — a data-driven artisan discipline that replaces the traditional single toji system with permanent year-round staff. Pressing uses a centrifuge pioneered commercially by Dassai, separating sake from mash without applied pressure to preserve the most volatile aromatic compounds intact. Pasteurization follows the patented Hayata method: bottled cold below 5°C, hot-shower pasteurized, then immediately rapid-cooled.

The special feature here is structural: pressure-free centrifuge separation at 39% seimaibuai produces a textural silkiness and aromatic precision that conventional fune or yabuta pressing at this polish level simply cannot replicate.

Brewed year-round rather than seasonally, the 39 is intended for near-term consumption; no vintage dating applies.