Kumamoto Kobo Junmai (720 ml)

Sakunohana Shuzo has brewed in Saku City since 1892, operating from a plateau at roughly 700 m elevation between Mt. Asama and the Yatsugatake range — a high-altitude inland basin where cold winters and clean snowmelt-fed groundwater define the character of every fermentation. Saku-daira's sharp diurnal swings slow microbial activity, naturally tightening texture and preserving aromatic precision in the finished sake.

This Junmai is built entirely on Hitogokochi rice grown in Nagano Prefecture, polished to the Junmai threshold with no added distilled alcohol — only rice and rice koji. Fermentation follows the ginjo-zukuri method under toji Tatsuyuki Inoue: slow, low-temperature fermentation that coaxes restrained fruit character without sacrificing the dry, clean finish the brewery is known for. The Kumamoto kobo (yeast) designation signals use of the celebrated No. 9 yeast lineage, prized for its stable, fruit-forward fermentation profile at low temperatures.

What sets this expression apart within Sakunohana's lineup is the explicit Kumamoto kobo declaration on a Junmai-grade bottling — a yeast choice more commonly reserved for Ginjo and Daiginjo tiers — delivering ginjo-adjacent aromatics at a Junmai price point. Drink now through two to three years; serve at 10–15 °C to keep the fruit lifted and the dry finish clean.