Dewazakura - Oka "Cherry Bouquet" Ginjo (720ml)

Dewazakura Shuzo is based in Tendo, a small city in Yamagata Prefecture known for its cold winters and clean mountain water, both ideal conditions for delicate sake production. The brewery released Oka in 1980, and the sake quickly became a sensation, playing a significant role in sparking Japan's broader ginjo boom by showing drinkers just how aromatic and refined this style of sake could be. Decades later, it remains one of the brewery's most celebrated and widely admired expressions.

Oka is brewed from a blend of Miyamanishiki, Dewasansan, and Haenuki rice, milled down to 50 percent, a polishing ratio typically reserved for daiginjo-level sake. Fermentation relies on an Association No. 10 yeast from the Ohgawa lineage, prized for producing fragrant, delicate aromatics. The result is a sake with striking transparency of flavor, matching the clarity of its colorless liquor, and a soft, rounded texture that builds gently as it warms in the glass.

The nose bursts with cherry blossom, rose water, honeysuckle, and violet, while the palate stays dry and clean, revealing subtle layers of peach, strawberry, pear, and melon beneath the floral perfume. Serve it well chilled in a wine glass, and let it pair with clams on the half shell, a light green salad, or delicate white fish sushi.