Dassai Junmai Daiginjou Migaki Sanwari Kyubu 39 (1.8 L)

In 1990, Hiroshi Sakurai made a decision that no major Japanese brewery had attempted: commit the entire commercial range of Asahi Shuzo — founded on a site dating to the 1700s in the mountain valleys of Shuto-cho, Iwakuni City — exclusively to Junmai Daiginjo, the highest premium grade, eliminating every lower tier. The Dassai 39 sits at the heart of that commitment, its name denoting a seimaibuai of 39% — meaning 61% of each Yamada Nishiki grain is milled away before a single drop of water touches the rice.

Iwakuni's mountain water, regionally classified as Seiryu (clear-stream water) for its exceptional softness and purity, is purified further on-site. That low-mineral profile allows the fermentation's own aromatic compounds — ripe pear, white melon, lychee — to register without ionic interference. Rice is washed in 10 kg units in running water and soaked for approximately 15 minutes; koji is applied entirely by hand. Two parallel brewing teams simultaneously test differing water-absorption rates and fermentation temperatures in small individual tanks, comparing results batch by batch — a data-driven artisan model with no seasonal toji.

The press is a commercial centrifuge, pioneered by Dassai — the first sake brewery in Japan to deploy one — separating sake from mash without applied pressure, preserving the most volatile aromatic esters intact. Bottling follows the patented Hayata method (Patent 2013-008455): filled cold at under 5°C, hot-water-shower pasteurized, then immediately rapid-cooled — a sequence that locks freshness without the textural dulling of conventional heat pasteurization. Year-round brewing, another deliberate break from traditional winter-only production, ensures consistent supply without seasonal compromise.