Kaitō Otokoyama Junmai

Kaitō Otokoyama Junmai (開当男山 純米酒) has a mellow taste and full-bodied aroma. The sake is brewed traditionally using high-quality groundwater in a cold region and is characterised by its mild flavour. This junmai sake is a true representative of the brewery. It pairs perfectly with fatty tuna, gizzard shad, rolled omelette, and fried shrimp. The recommended temperature is 15-18°C, but it can also be warmed to around 45°C.

Kaitō Otokoyama Brewery was founded in 1716. Minamiaizu was a territory directly administrated by the shogunate during the Edo period and developed a unique culture. The Tajima Gion Festival is famous for its traditional culture and its locals who cherish sake. The surname Kaitō, given to the brewery by the third-generation founder of the family, Watanabe Harumasa, became its brand name. For 14 generations and 300 years since then, the brewery has been working on unique sake brewing that makes the most of the cold climate. All the brewery staff are local, working hard day and night to make sake with even more care. In recent years, the brewery has won numerous awards at the National New Sake Tasting Competition.

Minamiaizu is a snow country. Not only is it snowy, but it's also freezing, with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 20 degrees. The temperature control required for sake brewing is mainly due to the favourable climate, and the sake is brewed using pure meltwater. During the cold brewing process, the brewers and their staff do not cut corners, and they work every day with a sense of urgency, inheriting the strength and techniques passed down from generation to generation. They also take great care in brewing, installing large refrigeration equipment and setting up a dedicated brewing room for ginjō sake.

All rice is milled in-house, and the ginjō is brewed in a dedicated brewing room containing 750 kg of rice. The sake is easy to drink. The brewery's brewers are making the most of the unique cold climate and clean snow water to create sake that enhances the umami and freshness of the food, can complement the taste, and has a skillfully balanced breathing quality.