Bijofu Junmai (720 ml)

When master brewer Ohara Akira applied Hiroshima-style ginjo technique — low-temperature extended fermentation in ultra-soft water — to Kochi's even softer nansui, he solved a problem the industry had long considered intractable: producing aromatic, textured sake from water too mineral-deficient to sustain robust fermentation. That solution defines every bottle from Hamakawa Shoten, founded 1904 on a coastal strip half a mile wide between the Pacific and the Yanase cedar mountains in Tano-cho, Aki District.

Brewing water is drawn from the subterranean Nahari River, fed by the Yanase forest — one of Japan's three great forests — delivering exceptionally pure nansui (ultra-soft water) that strips away the heavier earthy register typical of Junmai styles. The sandan jikomi three-stage mash builds over approximately 25–30 days at cool temperatures, coaxing delicate aromatics rather than forcing fermentation. Kochi Prefecture's proprietary AA-41 yeast drives pronounced isoamyl acetate — melon, banana, citrus — while the soft-water base keeps the palate lean and focused in the dry Kochi tradition. No brewer's alcohol is added; rice is the sole fermentable. The special feature: a house style that is simultaneously dry by Kochi convention and aromatically lush by ginjo standard — a contradiction most breweries in the prefecture never attempt. As a non-vintage Junmai, this expression is best enjoyed young and well-chilled to preserve the yeast-driven aromatic lift.