Fukuchō Junmai Ginjō Hattansō

Imada's Fukuchō Hattansō Junmai Ginjō (富久長 八反草 純米吟醸 直汲み) is made of two Hiroshima rice varieties revived by Imada Brewery, Akitakada and Hiroshima Hattansō, and brewed in the traditional ginjō style preserved in Akitsu. It is soft on the palate and full of flavour, yet it has a smooth finish. This is Fukuchō's flagship brand. Directly pumped, freshly squeezed and bottled.

Awards:

• 2017 Kura Master Top 10 Platinum Award France.
• 2018 Kura Master Top 12 Platinum Award France

Imada Brewery is located in Akitsu, Higashi-Hiroshima, facing the Seto Inland Sea and was founded in 1868. Hiroshima is one of Japan's top regions of sake production; the prefecture ranks among the top six in annual sake production. The region is famous for its soft water and smooth sake with a solid, lively fragrance. The brewery is run in the fifth generation by Imada Miho (今田美穂), one of the few female tōji (brewmaster) in Japan. She learned the trade from her father, Imada Yukinao but also enrolled in the National Research Institute of Brewing and later graduated from Meiji University's law faculty. After working for the cultural activities section in a Tōkyō department store, she returned to Hiroshima and took over the brewery. In 2020, the BBC included her in their list of the world's 100 influential women of the year.

Hiroshima is renowned for its ginjō-style sake varieties with beautiful fragrances and refined flavour. Imada Miho has continued and perfected the art of ginjō: in 2017, her Fukuchō ginjō won the platinum award for Junmai sake at Kura Master 2017, an annual contest selecting the best sakes from over 550 sake brands across Japan. Imada also experimented with heirloom rice varieties that had been out of use for centuries, created her hybrid yeast starter, and experimented with white kōji.

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