Flavour Profile:
Kun-Shu (Aromatic)
Premium Daiginjo sake is much more delicate, balanced, fragrant, and complex than non-premium sake (sake with less stringent milling requirements). That’s why this sake is best enjoyed slightly chilled, for warming or overchilling premium sake tends to mask or destroy its refined flavors. To truly savour the delicate and refined flavours of this sake, pair it with simple, natural/ light tasting cuisines such as white fish sashimi, steamed chicken or seafood, fresh vegetables or carpaccio. Keep chilled and best served around 5°C – 10°C.
Recommended Pairing: White fish sashimi, steamed chicken or seafood, fresh vegetables or carpaccio
Grade: Daiginjo – Daiginjo sake is made up of only rice, rice koji, water, yeast, and a small amount of pure distilled alcohol. The rice used to brew this sake must be polished at least to 50% of its original size. Daiginjo sake is almost always more expensive because brewers use double or more the amount of rice to create the same amount of sake.
Polished: 65%
Region: Tochigi Prefecture in the Kantō region
History of Hokkan Brewery
Founded in 1973, Hokkan Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. in Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture is a joint collaboration of three traditional local sake (jizake) houses founded in the Edo Era (17th century). Utilizing sake brewing knowledge and business knowhow gained over 300 years, they created the “Hokkan” brand to communicate quality and good taste to its consumers.
As one of Tochigi’s top jizake brewers, Hokkan Sake’s kanji logo literally means “northern gate” was chosen for the company name to represent Tochigi’s important position as the opening to northern Kanto. Tochigi jizake (locally produced sake) has been a tradition in Tochigi for centuries. Since the early 1600s when samurais from Edo (modern day Tokyo) made elaborate processions to visit the Tokugawa Family Shrine, jizake has held a special importance both for locals and visitors alike. Whether served at formal events, annual festivals, or local taverns, Tochigi jizake was an integral part of the Tochigi experience.
We at Hokkan Sake Brewing take pride in the use of local ingredients and techniques to make our distinctively original jizake. We hope that customers from around the world will come to enjoy the special character and flavors of Tochigi.
