Hagiwara - Yamahai Junmai (300ml)

Hagiwara Shuzo has been brewing sake since 1855 in Sakai, a small town in Ibaraki Prefecture that prospered for centuries thanks to river trade along the nearby Tone River, which forms the natural border between Ibaraki and Chiba. Today the brewery is led by Yasuhisa Hagiwara, the seventh generation of the family to run it, and remains deliberately small in scale, producing only a few hundred thousand liters a year and selling most of it within the prefecture itself.

This Yamahai Junmai is made from Omachi rice, milled to 60 percent, using Ogawa yeast and the traditional yamahai method, a slower brewing process that skips the addition of lactic acid and instead relies on naturally occurring bacteria to acidify the mash. The technique, developed over a century ago, tends to produce sake with more layered, complex character than modern fermentation methods.

The result opens with milky notes of orange blossom, apple, and nectarine, before a crisp citrus acidity carries the sake to a clean finish. Despite its traditional roots, it drinks with modern appeal and balance. Serve it slightly warmed alongside grilled pork or roasted mushrooms to bring out its earthy depth.