Kozaemon Junmai Daiginjo (300 ml)

Founded in 1702 by Nakashima Kozaemon in Mizunami City, Gifu, this brewery made a deliberate market transgression when it launched the Kozaemon label: championing umakuchi — rich, umami-forward sake — at a moment when the Japanese mainstream was locked into light, dry tanrei karakuchi. That contrarian stance is encoded in every production decision.

The brewery draws on a natural underground spring fed by snowmelt from Mt. Byobu (Byobuzan), filtered through the mountainous, 70%-forested terrain of the Mino region. The cool, humid Mizunami microclimate enables the slow, low-temperature fermentation that preserves aromatic precision at the daiginjo tier.

This Junmai Daiginjo is built on a split-rice architecture: Yamada Nishiki polished to 40% (kojimai) paired with Aiyama as kakemai. Koji is cultivated at ~98% humidity to maximise enzyme activity, then the mash is built via four-stage yodan fermentation — a fourth addition of rice and water beyond the standard three-stage sandan shikomi — extracting deeper rice-derived umami than conventional daiginjo brewing achieves. No distilled alcohol is added.

The special feature: yodan brewing at daiginjo polish levels is structurally unusual — most producers reserve extended mash techniques for junmai tiers, not sub-50% polished rice expressions.

NV; drink now through 2–3 years for peak aromatic lift, or hold for emerging textural depth.