Kakurei Junmai Chōkarakuchi Namagenshu

Kakurei Junmai Chōkarakuchi Namagenshu (鶴齢 純米酒 超辛口 生原酒) is made of Miyamanishiki rice milled to 60%. The cool design of this popular Kakurei evokes the feeling of summer arriving a little early. Classified as super dry, it has a superbly sharp aftertaste. It is spicy and has a solid body, making it easy to match with food.

Aoki Shuzō, located in Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture, known as one of the snowiest regions in Japan, was established in 1717 and has been brewing sake continuously for over 300 years. The signature brand Kakurei and other sakes are produced with the benefits of the snow country and skilled Echigo-tōji, the master brewers. While Niigata prefecture is famous for Tanrei-karakuchi, the light, elegant and dry sake style, Aoki aims to create Tanrei-umakuchi, retaining the pure umami of sake-rice, handing down their original recipe for the next 100 years.

Aoki Shuzō's Kakurei is accompanied by Uonuma cuisine, strongly flavoured with salt and soy sauce, for the locals who work earnestly with sweat and preserve fish and vegetables during the long winter. Kakurei has sharp and delicate Niigata sake characteristics, but the brewery aims to bring out the best of the umami aftertaste.

Suzuki Bokushi (鈴木牧之, 1770–1842) was a merchant, an author, and an ancestor of Aoki Shuzō, born in Shiozawa. It is said he named Kakurei. He wrote "Hokuetsu Seppu" (北越雪譜, Snow stories of North Etsu Province) to describe the snowy Uonuma life. It was published thirty years after planning and became a bestseller of the late Edo period , presenting the snow country's culture, dialects, customs, traditions, Chijimi textiles, and lifestyle. The brewery's second signature brand, Yukiotoko (雪男, snowman), is named after the strange hairy beast in the book.