Tokubetsu Honjozo (1.8 L)

When the Saito family adopted the name Eikun in 1915 to mark Emperor Taisho's ascension, they were already two decades into building a house identity inseparable from one hyper-local ingredient: Iwai rice, a Kyoto-exclusive variety developed in 1933, revived in 1988, and now sourced at roughly 40% of the prefecture's entire harvest by Saito Shuzo alone. That monopoly on raw material is the brewery's most consequential technical decision. The kura sits along the Takase River in Fushimi, drawing from 'Fusui' (Shiragikusui) — a low-iron, low-mineral soft underground spring beneath the Momoyama Hills, designated among Japan's top 100 water sources. Soft water suppresses fermentation vigour, producing the mellow, texturally smooth character Fushimi calls onna-zake. This Tokubetsu Honjozo is brewed under the Nanbu Toji guild using Kyoto-sourced yeast and traditional sandan jikomi (three-addition) cold fermentation, with a small addition of distilled alcohol — the defining honjozo technique — which lifts aromatics and sharpens the finish without adding sweetness. At 1.8 L (isshobin), this is the format of the izakaya and the family table: the same Fushimi soft-water precision at everyday scale. The drinking window is open now; serve lightly chilled or at room temperature.