Ise no Shiroki Junmai Kaseishu

Ise no Shiroki Junmai Kaseishu (伊勢の白酒 純米活性酒) is a light nigori sake brewed in the traditional way handed down at the Takahashi Brewery for generations. "Ise no Shiroki" is a sake that has frequently appeared in the media, where it was introduced as a 'sparkling sake,' while it is technically a namazake. It requires refrigeration at 5°C or below.

As this sake is bottled with the yeast still alive, the fermentation in the bottle generates natural carbon dioxide gas, and the pressure can cause the sake to blow out. The bottle must be kept refrigerated, standing up, not lying on its side, and never shaken before opening. When opening the bottle, loosen the cork gradually to release the gas and open the bottle slowly.

Takahashi Shuzō in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, has been brewing sake exclusively with water from the Suzuka mountain range and carefully selected sake rice since its foundation in 1862. The brewery has been brewing Mie-no-shintame (三重の新嘗), a sacred sake dedicated to the 800-odd shrines in the prefecture, including the Ise Jingu shrine, for about 80 years from 1933 to 2011 using traditional wooden vat brewing. This traditional technique is utilised along with underground water from the Suzuka mountain range and carefully selected rice suitable for sake brewing. As a small brewery, Takahashi Shuzō does not offer brewery tours but sells limited-edition sake and sake lees at its direct sales shop, Ise no Kura. The shop is open weekdays from 10:00-12:00 and 13:00-16:00, but it is closed Sundays and public holidays.