Niizawa Hakurakusei Junmai Ginjō

Niizawa Hakurakusei Junmai Ginjō (伯楽星 純米吟醸) was developed as an expression of its concept of the "ultimate food sake" (究極の食中酒 kyūkyoku no shokuchūshu). Created specifically to accompany meals, it has a light, fresh profile and a clean finish designed to complement food rather than overshadow it.

The sake offers delicate fruit aromas reminiscent of pear, banana, and passion fruit, while fresh citrus-like acidity adds crispness and clarity. Its relatively low residual sugar, together with subtle youthful astringency and freshness, makes it particularly well suited to food pairing. Niizawa Brewery also uses its proprietary flat rice-polishing method), which contributes to the sake's notably clean and sharp finish.

Brewed from domestically produced rice polished to 55%, Hakurakusei Junmai Ginjō has a sake meter value (SMV) of +4, an acidity level of 1.6, an amino acid content of 1.1, and an alcohol content of 15%. It is available in 720ml and 1.8L bottles and should be stored in the refrigerator at temperatures between -5°C and 5°C. The sake is particularly well-suited to seafood dishes, including carpaccio and a wide variety of fish preparations, and is best served well-chilled.

Awards:

• Tokyo Sake Challenge 2026 – Silver Award.
• Bangkok Sake Challenge 2026 – Gold Award.
• The Fine Sake Award Japan (ワイングラスでおいしい日本酒アワード) 2026, Main Category 2000 – Gold Award.
• Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada 2025, Sake Category – Gold Award (OR).
• U.S. National Sake Appraisal 2025, Ginjō B Category – Gold Award.
• MILANO SAKE CHALLENGE 2025, Sake Tasting Category – Gold Award.
• Luxembourg Sake Challenge 2025 – Gold Award.
• Tokyo Sake Challenge 2025 – Silver Award.
• 19th Feminalise World Wine Competition 2025 – Gold Award.
• The Fine Sake Award Japan (ワイングラスでおいしい日本酒アワード) 2025, Main Category – Grand Gold Award.
• Luxembourg Sake Challenge 2024 – Gold Award.
• U.S. National Sake Appraisal 2024, Ginjō Category – Gold Award.
• International Sake Challenge 2024, Junmai Ginjō Category – Bronze Award.
• 2nd Bishu Competition 2024, Light & Dry Category – Gold Award.
• Oriental Sake Awards 2024, Junmai Daiginjō/Junmai Ginjō (Light & Dry) Category – Gold Award.
• Hong Kong Tasting Trendies Sake Awards 2024, Junmai Ginjō Category – Expert Group: Bronze Award; User Group: Gold Award.
• Australian Sake Awards 2024, Elegant/Clean Category – Gold Award.
• Australian Sake Awards 2024 – Sessionable Award.
• Kura Master 2024, Junmai Category – Platinum Award.
• Asia Pacific Sake Award 2023, Junmai Ginjō Category – Gold Award.
• Catador World Wine & Spirits Awards 2023, Sake Category – Gold Award.
• Luxembourg Sake Challenge 2023 – Silver Award.
• Bishu Competition 2023, Light & Dry Category – Gold Award.
• Spain International Spirits Competition 2023 – Gold Award.
• Oriental Sake Awards 2023, Junmai Daiginjō/Junmai Ginjō (Light & Dry) Category – Silver Award.
• U.S. National Sake Appraisal 2023, Ginjō Category – Gold Award.
• SAKE COMPETITION 2023 – Gold Award.
• The Fine Sake Award Japan (ワイングラスでおいしい日本酒アワード) 2023 – Gold Award.

Niizawa Brewery Co. (株式会社新澤醸造店 Kabushiki-gaisha Niizawa Jōzōten) is a sake brewery based in Miyagi Prefecture whose origins date back to 1873, when Nakayoshi Niizawa founded Niizawa Shoten (新澤商店) in what is now Ōsaki City. The company remains family-owned and is currently managed by the fifth generation of the Niizawa family. The business expanded steadily during the Meiji period . In 1895, the company changed its name from Niizawa Shoten to Niizawa Sake Brewery (新澤酒造店), before adopting its present name, Niizawa Brewery, in 1907.

One of the brewery's historic brands, Atago no Matsu (愛宕の松), has long been associated with the company. According to the brewery, the name was adopted in 1925 following a visit by the Regent, the future Emperor Shōwa (1901–1989). On the occasion, a pine tree on Mount Atago was publicly praised, prompting the brewery to rename its flagship brand in commemoration. Over time, Atago no Matsu became one of Miyagi's best-known local sake labels. The poet Doi Bansui (土井晩翠, 1871–1952) is said to have remarked that even if the sake were opened atop Mount Tateyama, its fragrance would still be recognised as Atago no Matsu.

A major turning point came in 2002, when fifth-generation president and master brewer Niizawa Iwao (新澤巖夫) introduced the Hakurakusei (伯楽星) brand. Conceived as the "ultimate food sake" (究極の食中酒 kyūkyoku no shokuchūshu), Hakurakusei was designed specifically to complement food rather than dominate it. The concept was unusual at the time, as the idea of sake intended primarily for pairing with meals had yet to become widely established in Japan. Despite initial scepticism from retailers and restaurants, Hakurakusei eventually became one of the brewery's flagship brands and helped define its modern identity.

The brewery suffered severe damage during the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011. The original facilities in Sanbongi were rendered unusable, forcing the company to seek a new site. Later that year, Niizawa Brewery acquired the former Maruya Tenshō brewery in Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture, and established a new production facility there in 2012. The relocation was challenging, not least because many employees chose not to move to the new site, yet the company rebuilt its operations and resumed brewing within the same year.

Today, the brewery operates its headquarters in Ōsaki City and its main brewing facilities in Kawasaki, Miyagi Prefecture. In addition to Atago no Matsu and Hakurakusei, it produces premium labels such as NIIZAWA, Zankyō (残響), Reikyō (零響), and KIZASHI, all of which reflect the company's emphasis on technical innovation and extreme rice polishing. The brewery has earned numerous awards at domestic and international competitions and continues to pursue its stated goal of creating the "ultimate food sake."