[4877] Abekan Shinriki 阿部勘 特別純米 神力 長期低温熟成 阿部勘酒造 宮城県 720ml

Abekan's long-term, low-temperature aged sake (R4BY). It might come as a surprise to see an aged sake from Abekan Shuzō, but come to think of it, they did release a Junmai Daiginjo made with Hakutsuru Nishiki from R1BY (2019–2020) in the summer of 2022. So it seems that brewing sake for long-term ageing is something they do from time to time.

That said, the character of this long-aged sake differs quite a bit from the ones made by Kubo Honke in Nara or the so-called San’in-style aged sakes. It also sets itself apart from those ultra-premium Niigata sakes—from Aoki Shuzō or Yahiko Shuzō—where highly polished Junmai Daiginjo is slowly aged at low temperatures. The result is something distinctly Abekan—unique and individual. It is delicious not only served chilled but also warmed.

We were also surprised to see that they used the rice variety Shinriki (from Kumamoto). It’s a fairly rare sake rice variety. The sake is clean and transparent, showing excellent restraint. Furthermore, low-temperature aging is believed to have refined it by stripping away any harshness, enhancing its sophistication. This indeed highlights the perfect synergy between Abekan’s style and the inherent qualities of this sake rice.

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Shinriki

“Shinriki” is a sake-brewing rice variety that was discovered in Hyogo Prefecture during the Meiji era and later gained popularity due to its high yield and excellent qualities for sake production.

In 1877 (Meiji 10), farmer Shigejiro Maruo from Mitsu Town, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, found just three awnless ears while cultivating “Hodoyoshi” (meaning "fairly good") rice in his paddy field and began breeding them. He initially named the variety “Kiryōyoshi” (meaning "good‑looking").

Upon further cultivation, he discovered that its leaves and husks had an elegant color and that its yield was 25% higher than that of other varieties. Maruo then renamed it “Shinriki” (“divine power”), believing it to be “the power of the gods.” Although susceptible to diseases, it offers high yields, has excellent lodging resistance, and is easy to grow.

Because of its soft texture, high polishing is difficult, and its flavor profile is not suited for table eating. However, as a sake rice, it is ideal for koji production and dissolves easily during fermentation. It contains very few components that impart off-flavors, resulting in a remarkably clear and clean sake.

It spread nationwide and was widely cultivated across major sake-producing regions until the early Showa era, but it eventually disappeared amid successive waves of modern breeding improvements. Since its revival in the 1990s, its superior aptitude for sake brewing has been enthusiastically re-evaluated. It is currently produced in Kumamoto, Hyogo, and Fukui Prefectures; however, because the strains in each region were independently revived from separate preserved seed stocks, each variant possesses a slightly different character.

It stands as an foundational ancestral rice for many modern sake-brewing varieties, serving as a root genetic line for legendary sake rices such as Gohyakumangoku, Miyamanishiki, and Tamasakae.