Extreme
Most of the top quality products from most breweries are usually polished to 35% rice. Why is 35% polished rice the best sake? Is there any reason for this? At TATENOKAWA, we have been focusing on increasing rice polishing every year. This is because we wanted to quickly break away from the conventional idea in the sake industry that 35% milling rate is the best. and achieve an even higher level. I hear some people say, "Polishing ratio is not the only standard for good sake," but I think this is just a convenient excuse that limits innovation.
The lower the percentage of rice polished, the cleaner, purer, and higher-quality thesake. The process for me is like climbing a mountain:the view from the third level is completely different from the view from the fifth level and the higher you climb, the more beautiful and pleasant it is to look down on the world below in the clearer air. That's the same feeling I aspire to bring to this new sake. I am absolutely convinced that in order to produce and enjoy the clean sake, you have to polish the rice as if you were climbing a mountain, up and up the steps of the polishing ratio. I am absolutely convinced of this.
I am well aware that the rice polishing ratio is not the only thing that adds value to sake. I'm not just trying to stir up competition in rice polishing rates. There is a reason why I recommend polishing the rice more and lowering the percentage of milling ratio. This is because I believe that as the consumption of rice in Japan declines, producing high-milling sake will help increase the consumption of rice and play a key part in local area development.
Sato Jumpei（6th Generation Brewer）
KYOKUGEN Limited Quantity
English name: ULTRA
To create the most superior sake in the highest sake classification Junmai Daiginjo,with a quality the world has never seen before: rice polished in-house down to 8%, and that has all of aroma, subtlety, fullness, and beautiful afterglow. This desire from 6th Generation Brewer, Jumpei Sato, made "TATENOKAWA KYOKUGEN"(TATENOKAWA Ultra) with all the technologies of TATENOKAWA as it established in 1832 and the whole brewers's enthusiasms. You will have a new sense of possibility of sake as the difference from ordinary Daiginjo or Junmai Daiginjo, and enjoy experience of this ultimate sake.
Sold out after stock runs out at the brewery.
NEHAN Black2020 Limited Quantity
As part of our strategy to produce world-class sake, Tatenokawa has focused on exclusively brewing Junmai Daiginjo. We have also been pushing the boundaries of rice polishing by making several sakes with polishing ratios above 20%, single digits even. Recently, though, I have been considering the role vintage and aged sake has to play. Although Nama sake (unpasteurized sake) is popular, sake aged under proper cold storage conditions has a beauty which is not found in young sake.
We chose the recently revived rice “Sobe Wase” for the first NEHAN series to further add to the unique proposition of this sake. This sake has a gentle and delicate aroma - like a flower - and a soft sweetness. Sobe Wase does not have the ‘flashiness’ of more recently developed sake rice; rather, it gives you a sense of refined rustic beauty. I believe the charm and taste this historic sake rice provides will deepen and mature over time, and thus it is excellent for aging. We hope you enjoy this sake imagining how the taste may have changed with maturation, what it was like freshly brewed and how it will be in years to come.
18 Limited Quantity
English name: EIGHTEEN
A Junmai Daiginjo that with its rice-polishing ratio is the pinnacle of sake. Made with rice that has been polished down to 18%, it takes extravagance to the extreme.The elegant aroma is gorgeous and gentle, the soft sweetness of the rice spreads smoothly and deeply on palate. It takes pride of place in the "TATENOKAWA" line-up as the jewel in the crown of sake.
PHOENIX 8 Limited Edition Limited Quantity
A Collaboration of Music and Sake / The Refined Beauty Created by Yamada Nishiki with a Polishing Ratio of 18%
Since the launch of our first collaborative sake "Rainbow" in 2017, Tatenokawa and Phoenix have engaged in 3 joint ventures. To commemorate Phoenix's Japan tour in March 2023, we are releasing a new collaborative product that vividly reflects the world of their latest album "ALPHA ZULU", released in November 2022.
The sake chosen for this collaboration is a Junmai Daiginjo, made from the king of sake rice - Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo prefecture, meticulously polished down to 18%. Its refined taste is the result of the band members' relentless quest for perfection, involving numerous tastings. Furthermore, the packaging design is a motif of the music video "Winter Solstice", included in the album "ALPHA ZULU", offering a product that intensely mirrors Phoenix's unique worldview.
Tasting Comments from Christian
This sake is the perfect counterpoint to the first sake we did with Tatenokawa (rainbow Phoenix). The first sake was the key to enter to the beautiful world of Sake mastered by Tatenokawa. This new sake goes deeper and higher into the clouds beyond the mountains.18% polished less is more - the beauty of minimalism.
You can feel the refined elegance from Yamada Nishiki, meticulously polished to 18%. This sake stands straight on its own but you can try it with any food you want- experiment! The song we'd love you to savour alongside this sake is "Winter Solstice," which also served as the motif for the label design.
SHODAI-HEISHIROU Limited Quantity
Established in 1832 (Tempo 3), this is a masterpiece named after the first generation brewer of the TATENOKAWA, "HEISHIROU平四郎".
About 100 years have passed since the birth of Yamada Nishiki in 1923, but no sake rice that surpasses it has yet been born, while maintaining as the king of sake rice. Junmai Daiginjo SHODAI-HEISHIROU was produced with the desire to "create a sake bearing the name of the first generation using sake rice that is acknowledged as the best in the history of Japanese sake culture even today, and to pass on to the future the origins of the brewery's establishment".
It is a masterpiece that offers a modest but high-quality presence and a taste of perfection with a natural deliciousness that is ideal for celebrating a milestone or as a gift for a special someone.
SOUBE WASE 2022 Limited Quantity
Over three years, ancient rice from 150 years ago was revived, and after three more years of refining the brewing process, Soube Wase was finally born. It is from the local Shonai native rice, which is used only by Tatenokawa and holds the prideful name of Soube Wase.
Soube Wase, crafted from rice untouched by varietal improvements for 150 years, stands out from the rest. It offers a subtle steamed rice aroma, a complex and profound taste, and the inherent umami of the rice. Soube Wase, truly born from rice, perfectly accompanies various cuisines, enhancing your dining experience.
With aging, it develops a deeper mellowness and reveals a range of flavors through temperature variations. Indulge in the exquisite Soube Wase, tailored to your preferences, and experience its exceptional richness.
Discover the story of Soube Wase
KYURYU Limited Quantity
English name: 3 PEAKS
3PEAKS is made with Dewasansan rice grown local. With a gentle yet rich aroma of ripened fruits, the essence of every single flavour umami, dry, sweet and sour, spreads out leaving behind a lovely aftertaste.
