Iwate Prefecture Nanbu Bijin 10 Yr

Tasting Notes: This very special bottle was originally conceived by the 5th generation current brewery owner Kosuke Kuji and the late legend brewmaster Hajime Yamaguchi. After graduating from the Tokyo University of Agriculture, Kuji San attempted to make his first daiginjo with the master toji but failed. Embarrassed that his first daiginjo was horrible, he hid the sake deep in the refrigerator. When it resurfaced 10 years later, he found that his daiginjo had evolved beautifully.

A well-structured Daiginjo with a silky mouthfeel and elegantly clean finish. The subtle notes of fuji apple, white peach and musk melon dance around the nose and play a lively game of contrast against the delicate grain and spice notes that are hidden on first impression. This sake is then produced using a time consuming shizuku method where drops of sake are collected through gravity versus being pressed, it is then aged in 1.8L bottles for 10 years before final bottling.

Nanbu Bijin brewery makes limited releases of this sake only available to select restaurants in the U.S.