Hakutsuru Nama Sake (Draft Sake) (300 ml)

Founded in 1743 by Jihei Kano, Hakutsuru built its reputation on a deliberate refusal to soften: where Fushimi and Hiroshima breweries lean on gentle, low-mineral water, Hakutsuru draws miyamizu — hard spring water from the Rokko Mountain aquifer, high in potassium, phosphorus, and calcium — which drives vigorous yeast fermentation and produces the dry, assertively structured profile Nada calls otoko-zake. The brewery sits at the base of Mt. Rokko in East Nada Ward, Kobe; the cold seasonal wind Rokko oroshi descends from the mountain toward the Seto Inland Sea, providing natural temperature control during winter moromi fermentation conducted over approximately 20–25 days using Hakutsuru's proprietary in-house yeast strains. This Nama (Draft) expression skips the standard double-pasteurization step entirely, bottled in its live, unpasteurized state and cold-stored at approximately 5°C before release — a handling requirement that preserves volatile aromatic esters that heat would otherwise collapse. The special feature here is access: at 300 ml, this is the Nada miyamizu terroir and Hakutsuru's mineral-dry house character in its most unmediated, enzymatically active form. Drink cold and soon after purchase; the nama character is at its most expressive within weeks of opening.