Chiyomusubi Junmai Goriki 60 (1.8 L)

Gōriki rice had all but disappeared from Tottori's paddies by the mid-1950s — too difficult to farm, too regionally obscure to justify. Chiyomusubi, founded in 1865 and stewarded by the Okasora family, anchored a 1998 revival coalition of farmers, brewers, and Tottori University, and now grows every grain under strict seed-purity contracts across registered plots in Hoki, Nanbu, Nichinan, Kurayoshi, and Yazu. This Junmai uses 100% Gōriki polished to exactly 60% seimaibuai — the Ginjo threshold — but is classified Junmai, meaning no added alcohol and no aromatic shortcuts. Brewing water is drawn by hand from a natural spring in Daito Town, Shimane Prefecture, at the foot of the Chugoku Mountains — a soft-water source requiring a three-hour round trip, collected daily through the brewing season. Fermentation is low-temperature and closely managed; steamed rice is hand-cooled for uniform core temperature, and the brewery's proprietary yeast strains are selected and preserved annually from in-house performance. The result is a sake that sits structurally denser and more umami-laden than the lighter, more aromatic styles of Hyogo or Niigata — Gōriki's genetic character driving breadth of body over floral lift. The special feature here is scale: the 1.8 L magnum format preserves this unpretentious, food-driven Junmai for extended table use without quality compromise. Drink now through three years; serve slightly chilled or at room temperature to open the grain texture.