Watanabe Irootoko Junmai Daiginjō

Hōrai Watanabe Irootoko Junmai Daiginjō (蓬莱 純米大吟醸 色おとこ) is made of Yamadanishiki milled to 45%. It is fruity, sweet and slightly rich, leaving an elegant overall impression. According to the brewery, the owner of one best host clubs in Japan requested they produce an elegant sake befitting their establishment that pleases the ladies as much as champagne and cocktails. Hōrai crafted the Irootoko ("lady killer"). Best served well chilled and paired with white fish sashimi, steamed chicken and salad.

Awards:

• 2019 International Wine Challenge Silver
• 2020 International Wine Challenge Commended
• 2020 The Fine Sake Award Gold Medal
• 2021 International Wine Challenge Bronze
• 2021 Kura Master Gold Award
• 2021 Bordeaux Sake Challenge Gold
• 2022 International Wine Challenge Bronze

Tasting notes IWC 2021

Aroma of floral notes with young melon, creamy rice pudding. Rounded body, with notes of cotton candy and fruit syrup.

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The town of Furukawa in Hida, where the Hōrai Brewery is located, is situated 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 Watanabe started 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 all over the country and strived 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.