Shichiken Ichibanshibori Junmai Ginjō

Shichiken Ichibanshibori Junmai Ginjō (七賢 一番しぼり 純米吟醸 生) is made from Yume Sansui rice milled to 57%. Just the first few freshly squeezed sake drops are collected and finished raw—a refreshing scent of green apples and a soft and fresh taste of rice emerge, wrapped in a refreshing feeling, right down to the aftertaste. It is best enjoyed when chilled.

Yamanashi Meijō Brewery is in Hakushu-cho, Hokuto City, in Yamanashi Prefecture. Hokuto is famous for its quiet greenery and natural beauty. Rain and snowmelt from Mount Kaikoma (甲斐駒ヶ岳 Kaikoma-ga-take) upstream seep into the ground and are slowly polished over a long period by layers of granite. The resulting subsoil water is soft and transparent. This area has whiskey distilleries, mineral water factories, long-established Japanese confectionery stores, and confectionery manufacturers, all of which enjoy the rich blessings of local nature.

The brewery was founded in 1750 by Kitahara Ibei (北原伊兵衛), a descendant of the Kitahara family who had been brewing sake for generations in Shinshū (modern-day Nagano Prefecture). The name 'Shichiken' (七賢) was given to their sake in 1835 after the Lord of Takato Castle gave the brewery a pair of fanlights entitled "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" as a gift. The backroom of the main building, which the Meiji Emperor used as his temporary lodging during his visit in 1880, has been designated as a national heritage site and is open to the public along with the brewery. In recent years, the brewery has become popular as a tourist spot where visitors can spend a leisurely time, as it operates a restaurant that serves dishes using fermentation technology and a café that uses koji sugar, a sweetener made from rice malt.