Kurosawa Junmai Kimoto Sake Japan NV (720ml)

Producer: Kurosawa

Style: Junmai Kimoto Sake

Base Material: Locally grown rice milled to 65%

Country: Japan

Taste: Aromas of apple cobbler, daikon, and rice candy wrapper with a silky, fruity-yet-dry medium body and a crisp, green apple, dried honey, and Earthy and nutty with a terrific sharp acidity from the kimoto method, this is a classic Kimoto Junmai. Nice complexity and style. 

Vibes with: A terrifically dynamic food sake, excellent chilled or warm, and able to pair with a range of cuisine but particularly good with heartier fare.

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Additional Info:

Kurosawa is a family run sake brewery with a history of over 150 years of crafting fine sake using traditional methods. Founded in high mountain Nagano Prefecture is 1858, it is currently overseen by Kazuo Kurosawa, the fifth generation of the family to run the brewery, with his son Yohei serving as toji master brewer, leading the sake making team. They specialize in the labor intensive and traditional kimoto method of sake production that produces bold, rich flavors and a beautiful sharp acidity.

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Locally grown rice milled to 65%. Kurosawa Sake Brewery is located in central of Japan, Sakuho-cho, Nagano, and was established in 1858. Sakuho is surrounded by mountains, such as the Asamayama and Yatsugatake, along the Chikuma River, which is one of the longest in Japan. Since its inception, Kurosawa has been brewing authentic sake under the most ideal conditions: beautiful and natural surroundings with clean air, high quality water, and cool temperatures. 

Made in the high mountain region of Nagano from snow-melt water and locally grown rice milled to 65%. Premium Junmai grade sake made from just rice, water, yeast and koji. Traditional “kimoto” method that picks up ambient microbes from local environment, gives sake robust character and prominent acidity. Serving chilled will keep the sake lean and acidic, gently heating to 100F or more will bring out sweetness and chocolate notes.

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 “Kimoto”, this method takes a much more active approach to starting a batch. Here, a combination of rice, water, and koji is added to small tubs, and then mashed into a paste by brewers using a special pole. This is done with two brewers to a tub, and they stand at opposite ends alternating which side they stir. The most striking part is the songs they sing in order to work in unison and keep the poles from hitting each other. Some songs are from whatever brewing guild the toji (or Master Brewer) belongs to and some are specific to the brewery itself.  As the kimoto style has returned to sake production in recent years, so have these songs. 

The kimoto method helps release nutrients and enzymes into the batch quickly, helping produce a stronger acidic environment to stave off more spoilage bacteria than bodiamoto. Although kimoto is also commonly associated with funky, earthy flavors, many breweries have elevated this technique to produce surprisingly refined sake that maintains a deep umami layer even at the daiginjo level.