Junmai Takehara (720 ml)

In 1947, 4th-generation brewmaster Kiyoma Nakao invented koon toka — a high-temperature saccharification method that heats koji rice, brewing rice, and water to 55°C to eliminate competing bacteria, then rapidly cools to 40°C before lactic acid addition. The technique, now used by over 60% of Japanese breweries for daiginjo competition sakes, was designed specifically to protect Nakao's most prized asset: a proprietary apple yeast isolated after testing more than 2,000 yeast sources.

Nakao Sake Brewery sits in Takehara, a coastal merchant town on the northern shore of the Seto Inland Sea — once home to 26 breweries, now two. The brewery draws soft spring water from the Kamo Mountains, the defining mineral signature of the Hiroshima brewing tradition, which produces a mellow, melting texture that hard-water sakes cannot replicate.

This Junmai expression uses local Hiroshima table rice polished to 65% seimaibuai, fermented with the apple yeast, pressed on a Yabuta machine, and diluted to 15.4% ABV before tank aging in enamel-coated steel. No wood contact. Where most Hiroshima breweries lean on neutral yeast profiles, this Junmai carries a distinctly fruity lift — the apple yeast's signature — layered over the soft-water umami base that defines the kirei style. An approachable, food-driven expression built for the table rather than the competition podium.