Kaetsu Kirin Hojun Karakuchi Junmai Daiginjō

Kaetsu Kirin Hojun Karakuchi Junmai Daiginjō (麒麟 芳醇辛口) is made of Koshihikari rice millded to 50%. Koshihikari is one of the most-grown food rice varieties in Japan. Its name refers to Koshi (越国), an old province that stretched from modern-day Fukui to Niigata. It is medium dry, rich in umami, and has a well-rounded and mild mouthfeel.

Kaetsu Sake Brewery is located in Tsugawa, Agamachi, Niigata, a town on the Ban'etsu West Line, connecting Niitsu in Niigata Prefecture with Aizuwakamatsu and Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture. The brewery was founded in 1880 in Fukushima and then transferred to Niigata in 1886. Niigata Prefecture is famous for its exquisite food rice named Koshihikari. Aga-machi lies at the confluence of the Agano and the Tokonami rivers and is surrounded by many mountains. This climate births the highest class of sakamai (sake rice). Moreover, water quality is also essential in sake brewing. Kaetsu Sake Brewery has an excellent natural spring with pure and soft water. The name, Kirin, derives from a legendary chimerical creature in Chinese mythology.