Region: Chiba
Rice Variety: Koshi-hikari
Type: hatsuga-genmai (unpolished, sprouted brown rice) muroka namagenshu
Polishing Rate: 100%
ABV: 11%
Ingredients: rice, water, kōji
Brewing: short ferment of sprouted rice, unpasteurized, undiluted, unfiltered
Serving Temperature: chilled

Established in 1670, Terada Honke made a decision about 30 years ago to part ways with the industrial brewing methods of postwar Japan and take sake back to its roots. 24th-generation kuramoto Terada Masaru is following in his predecessor’s footsteps, leading a brewery where the whole incredibly labor-intensive process is done by hand. The rice used is all organic, and most of it is polished far less than the average in the industry. Fermentation relies on brewery propagated kōji (a rarity) and either kimoto or bodaimoto fermentation methods, which when combined with the little-polished rice, results in tastes that are bold, full-bodied, and expressive with a signature high presence of lactic acid.