[B245] Kakurei Yukimuro 鶴齢 純米大吟醸 雪室 青木酒造 新潟県 2019 720ml

Wisdom of the snow country

Before refrigerators, people in the Uonuma region buried food in the snow to preserve it. Grains and vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, that matured in these snow chambers had a sweeter taste and deeper flavour thanks to low-temperature saccharification.

Kakurei Yukimuro

Inspired by this snow country wisdom, Aoki Shuzou built a snow chamber in 2017 and named it “Kakurei Yukimuro”. The cold air from the stored winter snow maintains perfect humidity and temperature levels inside the cellar throughout the year. Storing sake in the Kakurei Yukimuro reduces stress on the liquid, allowing it to mature in an ideal environment. Aoki Shuzou carefully selects only the best sake with excellent aging potential each year to reserve for long-term cellaring.

The vintage 2019 Junmai Daiginjo was released after 5 years of aging. This snow-aging process gave the sake a softer taste and smoother mouthfeel. (Yamada-Nishiki 100%, rice polishing rate: 37%).

There are generally three types of aged sake:

1) Those with a yellowish or brownish hue and rich, mature aromas.

2) Those that become rounded with a robust, concentrated umami.

3) Those that remain nearly transparent as off-flavors (zatsumi) are eliminated, leaving only a clean, delicate umami.

Each type results from a unique combination of the original sake quality, aging temperature, and cellaring period. The Kakurei Yukimuro 2019 falls into the third category. It is truly impressive how this originally luxurious and powerful sake has been refined to become so soft and smooth. While you can age sake at low temperatures in a standard refrigerator or wine cellar, the distinct softness achieved in this finish is truly the exclusive result of snow-room aging.

For enthusiasts like us, aging wine or sake ourselves is one of life's greatest joys. However, in snowless Hong Kong, it is virtually impossible to replicate a snow chamber. In that sense, the Kakurei Yukimuro 2019 is indeed an intriguing and precious bottle.

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Yamada-Nishiki

The sake rice used is the well-known Yamada-Nishiki, which boasts the largest production volume in Japan today. When people get deeply into sake, most tend to chase rare rice varieties—and we, too, were no different. The same is true for wine; drinkers are often attracted to stories of rare grapes grown only in specific regions, or the revival of extinct varieties. In that context, major varieties can sometimes be dismissed as lacking rarity, and therefore seen as boring. However, those who drink sake over the long term eventually come to understand the true greatness of Yamada-Nishiki.

In the wine world, Château Latour and Dominus are crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Pétrus from Merlot, and Montrachet from Chardonnay. These world-class wines are made from the most popular grape varieties on earth. (Though it might be more accurate to say that it was precisely because such legendary wines existed that these grape varieties came to be cultivated globally.) Similarly, the finest sake is born from Yamada-Nishiki, the most dominant variety. Its flavor profile is spectacularly gorgeous.

Yamada-Nishiki grows to about 130 cm tall, making it fragile and prone to falling over in the wind. It takes a long time to mature and is vulnerable to diseases and pests, making it difficult to cultivate. Yet for sake brewers, it is highly manageable and considered the ultimate canvas. It is perfectly suited for high polishing rates, making it ideal for brewing Ginjo-style sake.

YK35

Since the debut of Yamada-Nishiki, sake brewed with this rice has dominated the top ranks of the National New Sake Appraisal. In the mid-1980s (the late Showa period), a brewing formula known as “YK35” became a phenomenon. It proved that using Yamada-Nishiki (Y), Kyokai No. 9 yeast (also known as Kumamoto yeast, K), and polishing the rice down to 35% or less would almost guarantee an excellent appraisal score.

Because of this, competition for quality intensified at the top tier, sparking the creation of many renowned sake brands. Aoki Shuzo is a premier brewery in Niigata. While they are naturally masters at brewing with the local Koshi-Tanrei rice, their highest-grade premium sake is crafted using Yamada-Nishiki sourced from the prestigious Hyogo Special A district.

Over a Century of Yamada-Nishiki

The sake rice celebrated as the finest ingredient for Ginjo-shu was born in 1923 by crossing Yamada-ho (mother) with Tankan-Wataribune (father). It was officially named “Yamada-Nishiki” and registered as a recommended variety in 1936. This undisputed king of sake rice has maintained its crown for generations, cementing a legacy that now spans over a century.