Flavour Profile:Â
Jun-Shu (Rich)
Modest apple and pear aromas usher in subtle hints of raisins, dried fruit, cheese and earthy elements. Notably smooth and modest all around wih a gentle sweetness that gives way to subtle acidity and savoury umami flavours. This sake works its way slowly throught the mouth before delivering a moderately clean finish.
Keep chilled in an ice bucket and best served around 5°C – 10°C in a tumbler or sherry glass. This sake is not too overpowering and can be enjoyed with a wide variety of food, particularly rich cuisines that contain umami
Recommended Pairing: Grilled meats, agedashi tofu, fried foods and dishes with a rich sauce.
Grade: Ginjo – Ginjo sake is made from rice, rice koji, water, yeast and a small amount of pure distilled alcohol. To be classified as ginjo sake, the rice polishing ratio must be 60% or less (at least 40% the rice grain is removed).
Rice Type: Gohyakumangoku
Polished: 60%
Sake Meter Value (SMV): +2
Acidity: 1.1
Region: Kobe Nada, Hyogo Prefecture in the Kansai region
History of Shirakabegura Brewery
Located in Nada, Hyogo, one of Japan’s most famous sake producing regions, Shirakabegura is part of the Takara group producing sake, shochu and other Japanese delicacies. This brewery produces consistently award-winning premium sake with distinctive production methods such as kimoto and muroka genshu, as well as the popular MIO sparkling sake.
Brewing since 1842, using the hard water of Miyamizu, the water is uniquely suited to sake production, providing robust fermentation due to the mineral content. Shirakabegura has one of the longest gold medal streaks of any brewery in the Annual Japan Sake Awards.
A master of the rare traditional kimoto style producing unique flavours, the Shirakabegura philosophy is to harmonize two contrasting ways of brewing: using new technologies that mimic traditional hand-brewing techniques, and the art of human touch, judgement and intuition passed down through generations of brewers. The result is a range of special, unique and interesting brews, mostly of the Ginjo and Junmai styles. More recently, the brewery has found a new niche with the introduction of MIO Sparkling sake.
The brewery building itself is an imposing six stories high with modern facilities -considered among the best in the industry- spread out over over six thousand square meters in Japan’s most famous sake producing region, Nada.
