Hamada Kōjō Yuzuru wo Okosu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjō

Hamada Kōjō Yuzuru wo Okosu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjō (興譲 山田錦 純米大吟醸) is made of Yamadanishiki rice milled to 50%. The fruity scent of apricots and quince combines harmoniously with the gorgeous and mild fragrance of golden osmanthus, wax gourd flowers, green bamboo and sakura mochi. The soft sweetness leaves a mellow impression, blended with mild acidity and a pleasant bitterness and minerality in the aftertaste.

A word from the brewmaster: the rice is polished to 50% to create a full flavour. The soaking time is 11 minutes. The kōji is produced in 50 hours to achieve the gorgeous aroma typical of daiginjō—a 26-day low-temperature fermentation at 12°C results in a better aroma and a cleaner finish.

Hamada Brewery is located in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture. The Hamada family had been living in the village of Fujisenmura in Dewa Province for some 500 years when Hamada Gozaemon (濱田五左衛門), the 18th-generation head of the family, founded the brewery in 1866 under the trade mark Okimasamune (沖正宗). In 1872, Hamada Shuzōten (浜田酒造店) obtained a sake brewing license, and in 1888, the company started to export its sake to Tōkyō via Nihonmatsu in Fukushima. In 1957, the brewery was renamed Hamada Shuzō Co., Ltd. (田酒造株式会社). In 1973, under director Hamada Jun (濱田淳), who had studied oenology at the University of Bordeaux, the brewery started to produce wine. It established another label for its premium sake, "Faucon", a name derived from Uesugi Takayama (上杉鷹山), the ninth daimyō of Yonezawa Domain.