Seikyo Junmai Takehara (1.8 L)

In 1947, 4th-generation brewmaster Kiyoma Nakao invented koon toka — a high-temperature saccharification method heating koji, rice, and water to 55°C to eliminate competing bacteria before rapid cooling and lactic acid addition. The technique is now used by over 60% of Japanese breweries for daiginjo competition sakes, yet it was born here in Takehara, a coastal town on the Seto Inland Sea that once supported 26 breweries and today retains only two.

Nakao Brewery draws soft spring water from the Kamo Mountains — the low-mineral profile that defines Hiroshima's kirei (clean, beautiful) brewing tradition. Soft water slows fermentation, yielding a mellow, melting texture and restrained sweetness that harder-water sakes cannot replicate.

This Junmai uses local Hiroshima table rice polished to 65% seimaibuai, fermented with the brewery's proprietary apple yeast — isolated after testing over 2,000 yeast sources — and pressed on a Yabuta machine before dilution to 15.4% ABV. Aging proceeds in enamel-coated steel tanks, preserving the yeast's crisp, fruit-forward character without wood interference.

Where most Hiroshima breweries lean on neutral yeast profiles, Seikyo's apple yeast delivers a structurally distinctive acidity that lifts the soft-water umami rather than flattening it — an intentional transgression of regional convention. As an NV expression in a 1.8 L format, this is built for table use: drink now through the next 12–18 months, ideally lightly chilled at 10–15°C.