Ishimoto Koshi no Kanbai Futsushu White Label

The Futsu White Label (越乃寒梅 白ラベル 普通酒) is made of locally produced Gohyakumangoku rice milled down to 58%. Ishimoto aimed to create a sake ideal for drinking at dinner. Although a futsūshu (普通酒), the brewery employs the same techniques used to make ginjō sake: the rice is polished slowly, and the White Label is brewed at a low temperature over a long time, resulting in the most accessible and satisfying sake possible. It has a sharp, powerful finish that its longtime fans love.

2019 edition:

Ishimoto Sake Brewery was founded in 1907. While most of the sake industry switched to the so-called 'triple sake brewing method' (三倍醸造 san-bai jōzō) during the rice shortages following World War II, Ishimoto continued to produce light and dry sake with a clean, refreshing taste. As the public preferred rich and sweet sake, sales stagnated. In the 1960s, essayist Sasaki Hisako, editor-in-chief of the magazine 'Sake' (酒), published a feature on Koshino Kanbai, describing it as a 'fantastic sake'. In 1963, Sasaki's devotion to Koshino Kanbai was picked out by Shukan Asahi magazine, triggering a new sake boom. Koshino Kanbai continues to be highly popular to this day.

Ishimoto sources Yamadanishiki rice from Miki City, Hyōgo Prefecture, and asks local farmers in Niigata Prefecture to grow Gohyakumangoku rice under contract. Koshino Kanbai is a representative sake of Niigata Prefecture and one of the best-known sake brands in the country. It has the typical flavour of Niigata sake: light and dry, with a light and refreshing taste. The main line-up includes White Label Futsūshu, Bessen Tokubetsu Honjozo, Mukunin Junmai Ginjō, Tokusen Ginjō, Kinmukun Junmai Daiginjō, and Chotokusen Daiginjō.