Zao Tokubetsu Junmai Sake

Zao Tokubetsu Junmai is produced by Zao Shuzo in the city of Shiroishi in Miyagi Prefecture. The Zao team is one of the youngest in the country, with all employees, including the toji, between their 20s and early 30s. The brewery's sake has won numerous awards. Zao Shuzo is the 11th most award-winning sake brewery in Japan.

Zao Tokubetsu Junmai has a very fresh and clear taste. Tokubetsu means "special". A Tokubetsu Junmai sake is considered to be slightly better than a Junmai sake, but in terms of taste, these qualities do not usually fit into a ginjo category. Their character is somewhat more rustic, but at the same time they have a very exciting and refined taste profile. Only Miyama Nishiki, a popular sake rice from Miyagi Prefecture, is used. Zao Tokubetsu Junmai has a nice acidity and lots of umami and is a great food pairing for fish, grilled meat, cheese and sweet desserts.

You should definitely enjoy this sake well chilled. We recommend a special sake glass or alternatively a white wine glass.

Find out more about sake from Miyagi Prefecture here.

Junmai Sake / Tokubetsu Junmai
Japanese alcoholic drink based on rice
Rice polish: 55%
Rice variety: Miyamanishiki
Sake Meter Value: +3
Net quantity: 720ml
Alcohol: 15% vol
For sale to persons of legal age only
Importer: Ginza Berlin GmbH, Pfalzburger Straße 20, 10719 Berlin

Zao Shuzo was founded in 1873 at the foot of the Zao Mountains in the city of Shiroishi, Miyagi Prefecture. It is the only sake brewery in the city. At the time of its founding, it was a small, independent sake producer, producing only 4,500 liters of sake. Today, Zao Shuzo is the 11th most awarded sake brewery in Japan. Since its foundation, the brewery has consistently dedicated itself to quality-oriented sake brewing. Only local rice from Miyagi Prefecture is used. Miyama Nishiki and Kura no Hana, special sake rice varieties for the production of premium sake, are grown by farmers in Shiroishi City and the neighboring town of Kakuda in cooperation with young farmers from the region. The area is blessed with particularly soft water from the Shiroishi River, making it ideal for sake production. The sake kasu (sake lees), which is left over from the brewing process, is used as a fertilizer component for the rice fields, so that sake becomes rice again.
Another special feature of Zao Shuzo is the average age of its employees. The team is very young, with all employees aged between 20 and 35. In 2016, a 28-year-old toji was hired. The taste of the sake has changed since then. While it used to have a very rich taste, Zao's sake is now extremely fresh and clear.