Nishiki Koi Junmai Daiginjo

In the days when Japanese sake was delivered in barrels, rice was a precious commodity. And so was the sake made from this rice.

To maximize profits, breweries diluted their sake before delivering it to sake shops. In turn, sake shops dilute their stock before selling it to consumers.

The fraudulent practice became so commonplace that eventually a term was coined to refer to such sake: kingyo-shu (goldfish sake), meaning the sake was so watered down that goldfish could swim in it.

The 250-year-old sake brewery Imayotsukasa never participated in such a practice. In fact, as legend has it, they maintained excellent relations with the sake shops that appreciated their pure sake.

The sake brewing family decided to create a sake inspired by this important part of sake brewing history.

Very little is known about how this sake is made, other than the emphasis on “genchu” which means that the sake is not diluted.