Eigashima Shuzo Kamitaka Mizumoto Junmai Sake

The octopus on the label is a nod to the local specialty of Akashi, the Hyogo seaside town where Eigashima Shuzo has brewed since the Edo period — a house better known to many Americans as Japan's first licensed whisky distillery (1919) and maker of Akashi Whisky. Remarkably, the same man does both: toji Yuji Nakamura is simultaneously the whisky's distiller-blender and the sake's master brewer, and he brought the mizumoto technique here after learning it in Nara — the first brewery in all of Hyogo to adopt it. Mizumoto is the oldest recorded starter method in sake, predating both kimoto and yamahai: raw rice soaks in water to spark natural lactic fermentation, and that soaking water becomes the brewing water. The result is deliberately big-boned — an eating rice (rich in fats and proteins) milled to just 70%, with high acidity around 2.1 and 15% ABV. K&L's tasters found green pear, whipping cream, anise, and light ginger spice, calling it "extremely delicious" for the money; others find apricot, persimmon, and custard. Strong rice flavor balanced by beautiful dry acidity — built for soft cheeses, grilled meats, katsu, BBQ oysters, and, naturally, octopus.

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