NOGUCHI NAOHIKO Junmai-Daiginjo Yamadanishiki 2019

100% Tojo Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo, polished to 50%. A junmai daiginjo with a lifted fruit aroma and the roundness of ice-temperature maturation.

Junmai-Daiginjo Bacchus Global cold-chain mark

RiceTojo Yamada Nishiki

Polish50%

ABV17%

SMV—

Volume720 ml

StyleJunmai-Daiginjo

The sake

Yamada Nishiki, honed by time

Made from 100% Hyogo-grown Yamada Nishiki rice, polished to 50%, this is a 2019-vintage junmai-daiginjo non-filter nama-genshu. Without pasteurisation, filtration or added water, it was matured at near-freezing temperature in the brewery’s cellar for more than three years. While keeping the rice’s own contours intact, it quietly draws out the depth and lustre that only time can bring.

Taste profile

Vivid fruit character, touched by maturity

A showy aroma of lychee and pineapple is joined by nuances of caramel and vanilla from maturation. Bright, elongated acidity draws in the sweetness, carrying its dense character into a long, clean finish.

Keep refrigerated. Those layered aromatics carry all the way through to the finish.

The brewery

NOGUCHI NAOHIKO · Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute · Ishikawa

Founded in 2017 to carry the techniques, spirit and way of life of master toji Naohiko Noguchi forward to the next generation, the institute is based in Kannonge, Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Working with water, rice and time, it carefully brews sake of varying character — from junmai and yamahai to vintage unfiltered nama-genshu.

Official brewery website

Culinary affinity

A bright tropical aroma that draws in dessert and shellfish

The distillery does not publish official food pairings. What follows are four directions read from the aromas and taste structure that can be confirmed. From the lychee and pineapple that lift first, through to the caramel and vanilla that ageing leaves as a base note, this is the most aromatic sake in the range. A lively acidity and an almond-like bitterness in the finish keep that brightness from tipping into excess sweetness.

Tropical aroma and sweet dessertPineapple tart, warabi mochi (soft Japanese bracken-starch mochi), tub tim krob (Thai coconut dessert shaped like pomelo seeds). The lychee and pineapple character runs in the same direction as tropical fruit and sweet desserts

Lively acidity and shellfish sweetnessGrilled shrimp with a vanilla beurre blanc, ama-ebi (sweet raw shrimp), koong chae nam pla (Thai raw shrimp in fish sauce). The lively acidity tightens the sweetness of shellfish, and the vanilla note lines up with that same sweetness

Caramel from ageing and rich, savoury dishesBlue cheese with honey, miso-marinated grilled pork loin, khao soi (coconut curry noodles). The caramel and vanilla notes from ageing overlap with the richness of miso, roasted curry paste, or honey

Almond bitterness and light appetisersGreen salad with toasted almonds, hotaru-ika (firefly squid) with vinegared miso, yam mamuang (green mango salad). The almond-like bitterness in the finish runs in the same direction as the finish of light appetisers built on vinegar or citrus

Food-pairing literature notes that a bright, tropical-fruit aroma tends to connect with sweet fruit in the same register, or with dishes that close on acidity. This sake’s lively acidity and almond bitterness act as the frame that keeps its bright aroma from drifting into excess sweetness.

Pairing guide — Sake

Explore the range

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