Basic Info

Brand: KIRIN-ZAN Nick name: “Kagayaki”

Type of sake: Daiginjo, Gen-shu

Seimai Buai: Rice milled to 40 %

Alcohol: 17.6 % by volume

Size & UPC: 720 ml, 6-pack 844650025064

1.8L, 6-pack 844650025132

Producer

Name: Kirinzan Shuzo Founded: 1843

Location: 46 Tsugawa, Aga-cho, Higashi-kanbara-gun,

Niigata 959-4402, Japan

Website: www.niigatasake.com

President: Shuntaro Saito – the 7^th generation of the owner/founding family

Toji (Master Brewer): Yoshiaki Hasegawa

Ingredients & tech data

Rice: Koshi Tanrei Water: soft water

Yeast: G9NF

Nihonshu-do (SMV): +3 Acidity: 1.2 Amino acids: 1.0

No sulfites. No preservatives.

Other info

Serving temp. : Serve chilled.

Tasting Notes: Fresh and lively with mint and lemongrass. The essence of

ripe apricots tempered with anise, fennel and herbs adds complexity to this

rich sake.

Food pairing:

Bar au Sel sauce Hollandaise – This clean dish of Striped Bass laced with a salty tang needs a sake with delicate herbal notes and a touch of anise to bring out its flavor and enhance the citrusy butter Sauce Hollandaise.

Truffled grits – The sweet richness of this dish needs a beverage, notably a great sake, that will temper the dish’s richness with its lively herbal notes of mint, fennel and lemongrasss. The freshenss of the ripe apricot notes of the Kagayaki will balance the heavier sweet cornmeal taste and the intense umami-rich truffle aroma.

Kirinzan Shuzo is located near Mt. Kirin (= Kirin-zan) in Tsugawa, Niigata. Kirin, a mythical creature much like a flying unicorn, is believed to bring about luck and happiness. The brewery won gold prizes at Japan Annual National Sake Awards for four years in a row since 2016.