Kokuryū Daiginjō

Kokuryū Daiginjō (黒龍 ⼤吟醸) is made of Yamadanishiki rice. It has a full flavour, apparent, full mouthfeel and a refreshing taste with supple, fine-grained flavour: in the back, it has a strong, exotic aromatic flavour, like the sunflower. The pear and cinnamon added to the acacia honey give a lingering taste reminiscent of the sea breeze and the flavour of crushed plum seeds when the White White core is crushed. There are many layers of delicate scents. The high texture and the strength of the core create a skeletal structure, but the fluffy body, like floss, also adds an image of a gentle personality.

Best paired with fresh white fish sashimi and carpaccio., sake-steamed clams, white asparagus with Sauce Hollandaise sauce, and cheese.

Kokuryū Sake Brewery is located in Eiheiji in northern Fukui Prefecture, the gateway to Eiheiji Temple, the head temple of the Sōtō sect of Buddhism, and an ancient land nestled between snowy peaks and the Sea of Japan. In 1804, Ishidaya Nizaemon (石田屋二左衛門) started crafting sake; thanks to the excellent water in the area and the support of the local Matsuoka clan, there were seventeen breweries in its heyday, but only Kokuryū and one other brewery survived. Yoshida County is where snowdrift water from the sacred Mount Hakusan is filtered and flows out as subsoil water of the Kuzuryu River, which is perfect for brewing soft ginjō-shu.

Nowadays, Kokuryū is one of the most well-known breweries in the Hokuriku region, using Yamadanishiki from Tōjō (東条産), Hyōgo Prefecture, and Gohyakumangoku from Ōno (大野), Fukui Prefecture. What sets Kokuryū Brewery apart from other breweries is that it combines original techniques inherited from the company's founding with the latest technology and takes on the challenge of brewing sake that is both old and new. Mizuno Naoto (水野直人), the seventh-generation brewmaster, has also taken an interest in winemaking, visiting France and Germany to apply wine maturing techniques to sake. In April 2021, Kokuryū revamped its brands, with Kokuryū for premium gift sake and Kuzuryū (九頭龍) for social drinking.

Awards:

Kokuryū received Gold awards in the Annual Japan Sake Awards (全国新酒鑑評会) in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009-2011, 2013, 2016, and 2017.