Watanabe Gentei Hizōginjō Genshu

Watanabe Gentei Hizōginjō Genshu (渡辺酒造店様 限定秘蔵 吟醸原酒) is a very limited Ginjō Genshu produced as a special off-line item for the 2025 brewing year. Developed by Watanabe Shuzōten and a Kanagawa-based retailer, it is bottled exactly as pressed, without dilution, and each bottle is issued with an individual lot number. Brewed using Yamada Nishiki rice, the sake is gently matured at low temperature to preserve its natural structure. The aroma shows ripe peach and pear, while the palate is light, smooth, and easy to follow despite its undiluted strength. The finish is clean and precise, encouraging another sip without heaviness. With an alcohol content of 18.1%, it retains the depth expected of a genshu while remaining balanced and approachable.

The town of Furukawa in Hida, where the Hōrai Brewery is located, lies in the Furukawa Basin in the northernmost part of Gifu Prefecture, surrounded by the Northern Alps and the Hida Mountains, which are over 3,000 metres in altitude. "The townscape of Hida Furukawa has a splendid, graceful and ancient character. The town is not a tourist destination, so that you can feel its unspoilt appearance, expression and even personality," said author Shiba Ryōtarō (司馬 遼太郎, 1923-1996) in his book 'Kaidō wo Yuku. Ichino-cho, with its rows of old merchant houses with protruding wooden latticework, has a calm atmosphere, and the Setogawa riverbank, with its rows of storehouses with white and black hip walls, still exudes a tranquil atmosphere.

In 1732, Watanabe Kyuemon (渡邉久右衛門) established a business under the name 'Aragiya' (荒城屋), while Kyuemon II started a money-changing business and also produced raw silk to sell to Kyōto. In 1870, the fifth generation of the Watanabe family began brewing sake, which became very popular. It is written that while singing Noh songs at a feast to enjoy sake, he got intoxicated by the indescribable droplets of gems. During the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, he visited famous breweries nationwide and sought to learn sake-brewing techniques. Wakayama Bokusui (若山牧水, 1885-1928) and other writers and artists visiting Hida loved it, and Hōrai gradually became known to sake connoisseurs. It has been highly praised as a representative sake of Hida, rooted in the local climate, and has been loved by locals for a long time as a part of the joy of life with seasonal ingredients.