Nakao Tokubetsu Honjōzō Seikyō Chokarakuchi

Nakao Tokubetsu Honjōzō Seikyō Chokarakuchi (特産米 誠鏡 超辛口) is made with Shinsenbon, a speciality Hiroshima rice variety, milled to 58%, and K1401 yeast. It is Nakao’s cleanest and lightest dry sake with an SMV of +8. Served chilled, it has a clean finish; when warmed, it has a soft fullness that masks the dryness. It is outstanding with all kinds of foods. Shinsenbon is a famous Hiroshima rice variety with high viscosity. Even with a high polishing ratio, it is not susceptible to cracking, enabling brewers to polish away most of the proteins that result in unwanted flavours.

Nakao Shuzō was established in 1871 in Takehara on the picturesque Seto Inland Sea under the name 'Hiroshimaya' (廣島屋). In 1927, the brewery began developing its own yeast under agricultural chemist and microbiologist Sakaguchi Kinichiro (坂口謹一). Fourteen years of experiments on more than 2,000 yeast varieties later, Nakao Kiyoma, the fourth-generation owner, finally found a yeast variety that released an extraordinary bouquet (ginjoka): it had powerful alcohol fermentation capabilities and refreshing acidity. Kiyoma had discovered the miracle apple yeast. In 1948, Nakao Shuzō was chosen to provide the sake for the Imperial Household New Year Celebration. In 1974, 'Maboroshi'-branded sake made with apple yeast was launched (for the then-astronomical price of JPY 8,000 for a 1,800ml bottle) and presented to the Imperial Household.

The brewery's logo on the right says 'Seikyō' (誠鏡), the signature Seikyo brand of Nakao Shuzō. Seikyō means as much as "true mirror" and reflects the founder's wish that "sake poured into a cup may be like a mirror, with its quality revealing the sincerity in our brewers' hearts as they devote themselves to sake brewing."