Komedake no Sake [1 Koku - 20]

From Niigata Prefecture's Yoshinogawa Shuzo. Gohyakumangoku and Niigata-san Uruchi milled to 62%, SMV +4, acidity 1.3, and 15% abv. Restrained but confidently savoury nose of sushi rice - so, a little malty, with mirin and vinegar notes, rich and sweet entry yet paradoxically light and refined, elegant fruit and grain, starchy mid-palate and then a fleetingly light yet persistent finish which does just enough to remind you what passed. Not mind-bending, but a very comforting, comfortable sake.

Yoshinogawa is the oldest and most award-winning brewery in Niigata, brewing since 1548 and helmed by its 19th generation president, Koji Kawakami. Water comes from a well within the kura compound itself, and the brewery takes especial pride in the fact that a portion of the rice used is grown by company employees. At the same time, a cleanroom (not just a "clean room") is employed for bottling purposes, another example of the seamless intermarriage between artisanal craft-brewing and modern technology. Chapeau!