Kozaemon Junmai Ginjo Shinano Miyamanishiki (1.8 L)

Founded in 1702 by Nakashima Kozaemon in Mizunami City, Gifu, this brewery made a deliberate commercial pivot in the early 2000s — championing umakuchi (rich, umami-forward sake) at a moment when Japan's mainstream had spent three decades chasing the opposite ideal of light, dry tanrei karakuchi. That contrarian wager is built into every fermentation decision. Water comes from a natural underground spring fed by snowmelt off Mt. Byobu (Byobuzan), filtered through the forested, cool-humid microclimate of Mizunami's 70%-forested mountain terrain — soft, mineral-clean water that preserves delicate rice aromatics without stripping texture. The rice here is Shinano Miyama Nishiki, a cold-climate cultivar from Nagano Prefecture, polished to 55% seimaibuai (Junmai Ginjo tier). Fermentation uses a yamahai starter — a labour-intensive, lactic-acid-driven mash that builds structural acidity and layered umami — combined with Kozaemon's signature four-stage yodan brewing additions, extending the standard three-stage sandan shikomi with a fourth rice-and-water charge to deepen complexity and amplify rice-derived savouriness beyond what conventional ginjo brewing achieves. Bottling employs the gravity-fill 'Piledriver' method to minimise oxidative stress at the point of packaging. What sets this expression apart is the pairing of a fragrant ginjo-grade polish with yamahai's wild-lactic backbone — a combination most breweries reserve for junmai tiers. The result is a sake that carries ginjo floral lift alongside pronounced umami weight, drinking well now and holding for 1–2 years under cool storage.