Chiyomusubi Honjozo ‘Oni-No-Shitaburui’ Cho Karkuchi (1.8 L)

Founded in 1865 and stewarded by the Okasora family through the Taishō era and beyond, Chiyomusubi operates from the northwestern tip of Tottori Prefecture — a coastal brewery whose brewing water is hauled by hand from a natural spring in Daito Town, Shimane Prefecture, at the foot of the Chugoku Mountains, a three-hour round trip made daily through the brewing season. That slightly soft mountain spring water is the backbone of every fermentation, and it is especially audible in this honjozo: it keeps the texture clean and the finish cutting rather than round.

Oni-No-Shitaburui ('the demon's tongue shiver') is Chiyomusubi's house chō-karakuchi — ultra-dry — honjozo, a grade that permits a small addition of distilled alcohol to sharpen aromatics and extend the dry finish. The brewery's proprietary yeast, selected and preserved annually from its own best-performing strains, drives a low-temperature, carefully controlled fermentation that pushes the Sake Meter Value deep into positive (dry) territory. Rice is polished in-house, and steamed rice is cooled by hand rather than machine to ensure uniform core temperature before koji and yeast contact.

What sets this expression apart within the honjozo category is its 1.8 L magnum (isshobin) format — a deliberate choice for high-volume table service and izakaya-style sharing, where the larger vessel slows oxidation and keeps the sake at peak condition across a long meal. Drink now through the near term; serve well-chilled at 10–12 °C or warmed to 45 °C (kan) to open the grain character.