Ugo no Tsuki Junmai Daiginjō Black Moon Namazake

Ugo no Tsuki Junmai Daiginjō Black Moon Namazake (雨後の月 純米大吟醸 Black Moon 生酒) is made with 50% milled Omachi rice from Aikawa, Okayama Prefecture. It has a crystal clear, pleasant aftertaste and a fruity taste reminiscent of melon. This limited edition has a gorgeous melon-like aroma that spreads in the mouth and a moderate acidity that gives it a crisp, well-balanced quality.

Aihara Brewery in Kure is surrounded by mountains on three sides and by the Seto Inland Sea. Nigata is a small town located east of Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture. It is known for the underground water of Mount Noro (膳棚山), considered among the most exceptional waters in Japan, and for Nigata Harbour, which grew prosperous as an essential sea transport route. Blessed with the advantages of geography and fertile soils, during the Meiji Era (1868-1912), the town was home to nine saké and ten soy sauce breweries. The saké brands Ugo No Tsuki and Houken are still produced in the city today.

Aihara Shuzō was founded in 1875, and by 1895, it was brewing saké from 1,700 koku of rice – one of the top three yields in the prefecture. Although operations were suspended during wars, the company has continued to produce saké throughout its history. The company underwent significant changes in 1988 when Junichiro Aihara became president. Determined to make saké of the kind that was delicious to him, he was dedicated to quality above everything else. The company was transformed into a brewery that produced high-quality ginjo saké.

Ugo no Tsuki (雨後の月, the "Moon after the Rain") is the most recognisable of the saké brands produced by the brewery. The second-generation Aihara Itaru coined the brand and derived it from a short essay titled "Nature and 'Life", published by the author Tokutomi Kenjirō (徳富健次郎, 1868-1927) in 1900. Tokutomi Kenjirō wrote, "Clear and brilliant in the sky after the rain; the moon shines its light on everything around me."