Kuroushi Junmai Ginjō Omachi

Kuroushi Junmai Ginjō Omachi (黒牛 純米吟醸 雄町 瓶燗急冷) is made of Bizen Omachi rice milled to 50%. This sake employs the traditional handmade pasteurisation method, in which the bottled, unfiltered raw sake is pasteurised once and then rapidly cooled to minimise damage to the sake. The fruity aroma is reminiscent of citrus fruits, with sweet notes of bitter chocolate, as well as plum and persimmon flavours. The acidity is pleasantly savoury and smooth, with a slight roughness, and a lingering but gentle fade-out. This bottle is based on the traditional 'Kuroushi' flavour but with a unique sweetness and aftertaste.

Awards:

• Commended in the Junmai Ginjō category at the International Wine Challenge 2023
• Gold Medal at the 4th Professional Sake College (co-hosted by Tokyo University of Agriculture and Asahiya Sake Shop)
• Top award at the 10th Omachi Summit
• Gold Medal at the 2018 National Sake Appraisal

Nate Sake Brewery in Kuroe, Wakayama, was founded in 1866. Kuroe, Kainan, located ten kilometres south of Wakayama City, is an artisan town that has flourished as a lacquerware production area since the Muromachi period. It used to be a secluded inlet and a scenic spot, referred to in the Man'yōshū as "Kuroushigata" (黒牛潟, "Black Cow Cove"), as there were black cow-shaped rocks on the beach near the warehouses. Later, due to upheaval and land reclamation caused by earthquakes, the urban area of Kuroe was formed, taking its name from Kuro-ushi (black cow).

In 1866, Nate Genbei (名手源兵衛) started brewing sake with the prosperous lacquerware artisans of the time as customers. Born as the third son to a family of self-sufficient farmers in Konan, Yasuhara Village, Genbei was apprenticed to a fertiliser merchant (名手屋 Meiteiya) and partly given the business. He initially tried to make candles but failed. He later borrowed 200 ryō from his family to buy shares of a sake brewery slightly north of the current brewery. His comeback as a businessman and sake brewer was successful.