Description

純米吟釀金標鮎日本清酒 Junmai Ginjo Gold Label Ayu Japanese Sake

鮎正宗

誕生於皚皚白雪之鄉；甄選優質米與雪水滋養的甘甜泉水釀造而成。鮎正宗清酒清新醇厚，口感飽滿，享譽日本國內，並逐漸贏得國際市場的青睞。我們提供多種清酒，滿足您各種場合的需求：無論是作為餐前開胃酒、佐餐佳釀，還是冷熱品鑑，皆可盡享。

Ayumasamune

Born in the land of deep, deep snows; created from the delicious rice and soft water the snow makes possible. Ayumasamune is a family of fresh, mellow and well-rounded saké, nationally-renowned and gaining a growing international following. A range of saké types for every occasion: as aperitifs, to enjoy with meals, or simply to sip, warm or cold.

Keeping to tradition, but embracing new ideas

When you arrive at the Ayumasamune brewery, tucked into a forested mountain valley with a river running right behind, you know it’s a special place. A 120-year-old thatched building, fronted by two ancient zelkova trees, is the main building. Since the founding of the brewery in 1875 by Hikozaemon Iiyoshi, the Iiyoshi family has lived and worked here, brewing some of the finest saké not only in Niigata, but in all of Japan. Like the buildings themselves, there’s a blend of the traditional and the new to be found in the brewing process. Slow, careful brewing using timeless methods to bring out the best flavor; new flavors like sparkling saké, making use of the traditional method used to create Champagne.

The snowy world that shapes our saké

It’s impossible to separate Ayumasamune from the snowy setting of Myoko. It’s hard to imagine sometimes: one meter of snow overnight; almost 20 meters of snow falling each year in some of the mountainous areas around us. The snowmelt feeds the rivers (where you’ll find ayu, or sweetfish, the brand namesake), and then the rice fields, creating some of Japan’s most famous rice. It also percolates down through the mountains, trickling slowly, being filtered and purified along the way. It finally emerges right here within the Ayumasamune brewery—soft and with an ideal balance of minerals, an almost perfect water for brewing saké. Put together that cold, snowy winter, the excellent source of fine rice and the almost unlimited supply of water for brewing and you can see why everything has come together for the production of some very special brews.

A key ingredient: our employees

In the past, saké was only brewed in winter, when cool temperatures allowed for the slower brewing that brings out the best flavor in the saké. And, because farmers were not working in the fields during winter, there was a labor force available for work in the kura, or brewery. In fact, these workers were sometimes called the hyakunichi, the “100-days” people, for the time they would work in the kura before returning to the fields. Today, although it’s now possible to brew all through the year, most of our brewing still is done in the cooler months. Instead of seasonal labor, though, we have instead focused on providing year-round jobs for a regular team of employees. Ayumasamune is a family-run business, and that family extends to the skilled, experienced people who are here every day, creating some of the finest saké anywhere.

A local favorite with a national following

Most of the saké brewed by Ayumasamune is consumed right here in Niigata Prefecture, and especially in the immediate area. Start with the basics, the very popular futsushu, or “regular saké.” It’s much like the Iiyoshi family: friendly, unpretentious, but something that comes from a real passion for making every level of saké something special. For local people, this is their drink of choice, often enjoyed cold for its refreshing flavor, but also served warm, particularly in the winter months. Travel to Japan’s big cities, though, and you’re likely to find the distinctive label with swimming ayu fish outside of some of the finest sushi and other restaurants. Creating many different kinds of saké, including several seasonal specialties, there’s something in the selection for even the most serious of saké connoisseurs.