Azakura Junmai Genshu (300 ml)

Azakura Shuzo, the sole surviving brewery in Yokote City, has practiced kanjikomi cold-weather brewing since its private origins in 1876 — a method historians credit as the technical blueprint for modern ginjo fermentation across Japan. That lineage matters here: this Junmai Genshu is brewed under the same low-temperature, extended-fermentation discipline, but bottled undiluted, preserving the moromi mash's full concentration rather than cutting it to standard shiizake ABV.

Yokote sits in a basin encircled by the Ōu Mountain Range and Dewa Mountains, where heavy seasonal snowfall buries the brewery and provides passive temperature regulation throughout fermentation. Brewing water is drawn from the brewery's own well, recharged by Ōu Mountain snowmelt — characteristically soft water that encourages a slower, cleaner fermentation and amplifies the rice's native umami rather than sharpening acidity.

The rice is 100% Akita-grown sakamai; the Junmai designation confirms no added brewer's alcohol. Fermentation employs either Akita Yukiguni UT-2 or Akita Mio yeast depending on the batch — both selected for restrained ester production and balanced acidity, steering the house style away from high-fruit ginjo conventions toward solid umami structure and a clean, non-tiring finish. The genshu format is the special feature: where most Junmai expressions are diluted to 15–16% ABV before release, this 300 ml format delivers the mash at its natural, undiluted strength, amplifying texture and depth in a format sized for single-session exploration.

Drink slightly below room temperature to open the umami core; the compact format makes it ideal for immediate consumption after opening.