[B512] Kakurei Years Bottle 2024 鶴齢 純米大吟醸 雄町40 青木酒造 新潟県 720ml

Years Bottle Project

Founded in 1717 (the second year of the Kyoho era), Aoki Shuzo celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2017. Looking ahead to the next 100 years, the brewery launched an initiative to blend the traditional culture of Japanese sake with contemporary art to elevate modern Japanese culture. This initiative is the Years Bottle Project.

Released as a limited edition once a year, this project collaborates with prominent Japanese artists—including manga artists, illustrators, and painters—to create an entirely integrated design across the entire package, from the box and bottle to the label.

Beyond the pleasure of keeping and collecting the empty bottles after drinking every year, this series offers the unique joy of aging the sake itself like a fine wine, thanks to the excellent aging potential of the Omachi sake rice used. The Omachi rice is highly polished to craft a premium Junmai Daiginjo, which is then stored in "Kakurei's Snow Cellar (yukimuro)" and bottled for release only when it reaches peak condition.

2024

The fifth edition, the 2024 Years Bottle, features a design by Yuko Higuchi. >>>Yuko Higuchi Official Website

While this series typically showcases Omachi Junmai-Daiginjo, the rice polishing ratio—which was 48% for the first three editions—was further refined to 40% starting with the fourth. While every annual release is undoubtedly outstanding, the 2024 edition stands out as truly exceptional. It marks the very first time we have experienced an Omachi sake crafted with this unique stylistic direction and to such an extraordinary level of perfection.

>>>Read more stories at the News Archive

>>>Read more about this bottle at the News Archive

[Omachi]

Omachi is one of Japan's oldest heirloom sake rice varieties and serves as the genetic root for many modern strains. It is a direct ancestor to renowned varieties such as Yamada-Nishiki, Aiyama, and Gohyakumangoku. Remarkably, Omachi is the only variety that has remained entirely unhybridized and unchanged since its discovery in 1859. Today, it is primarily cultivated in Okayama Prefecture, which accounts for approximately 90% of its total production.

Cultivating Omachi is notoriously difficult; the plants grow over 160 cm tall, making them highly prone to lodging (falling over) and disease. Despite these agricultural challenges, brewers prize Omachi for its large grains and substantial shinpaku (the opaque white center). Its soft texture allows the rice to dissolve easily during fermentation. Rich in amino acids, it yields a full-bodied, umami-forward sake with a remarkably mellow taste. In Japan, sake brewed from this legendary rice has garnered such a passionate following that its devoted fans are proudly known as “Omachists.”