Imada Shuzo Fukucho "Forgotten Fortune" Junmai

While enjoying a wonderful dinner at Yakitori Totto, at Assembly Row in Somerville, we ordered a bottle of Sake, the Imada Shuzo Fukucho "Forgotten Fortune" Junmai ($75/restaurant, $35-$40/retail) to pair with our appetizers and grilled skewers. And the Sake was so delicious, we eventually ordered a second bottle as well. 

The Imada Shuzo, which was founded in 1868, is located in the port town of Akitsu in the Hiroshima Prefecture. Akitsu once had seven Sake breweries, but now there are currently only about three. The current brewery owner and Toji, master brewer, is Miho Imada, whose great-grandfather started the brewery. Interestingly, Miura Sanzaburo, a legend in the Sake brewing industry in that region, provided the brand name, Fukucho ("Forever fortune") for the brewery. 

It is rare for a brewery owner to also be the toji, and it is even rarer for a woman to not only own a Sake brewery, but also to act as its toji. Her brewery is small, producing only a relatively tiny amount each year. They specialize in Ginjo Sake, in small batches, and very traditionally and naturally made. It was also unique to see her photo on the back label of the Sake bottle. I don't recall ever having seen any other brewery owner or toji on such a label. 

The Imada Shuzo Fukucho "Forgotten Fortune" Junmai is produced from Hattanso sake rice, an heirloom breed which was nearly extinct before Miho Imada chose to help resurrect it. About a hundred or so years ago, Hattanso was popular, especially as it absorbed water well. However, its long stalks made it more vulnerable to adverse weather and other issues and its grains broke too often during the brewing process. Thus, it fell out of favor, although its seeds were fortunately preserved by an Agricultural Research Station. 

Sometime during the early 2000s, the seed bank had a surplus of Hattanso seeds, and asked the Sake brewers in Hiroshima if anyone wanted to try to grow the rice for their Sake. Imada was willing, and spent over ten years dedicated to growing and working with this heirloom rice. Currently, they are the only sake brewery that uses this rice. It's not the easiest rice to grow, but Imada has embraced its unique character, producing excellent Sake from it. 

The rice in this "Forgotten Fortune" Junmai has been polished down to 70%, which is less than some other Junmai Sake as Imada believes this is best for this Sake, providing more complexity and a better expression of the flavor of the rice. It also has a 15% ABV, a SMV +3, and the label states it is best served slightly chilled. It is said to pair very well with oysters, as the Hiroshima Prefecture has the most amount of oyster beds in Japan. In addition, it is supposed to pair very well with wild green vegetables. 

I found this Sake to be complex and pure delicious, with tasty flavors of melon and pear, a dominant earthiness and good acidity. Silky smooth, with a fuller body, and a lengthy, satisfying finish. It paired very well with a variety of foods, from raw octopus to grilled chicken skin. I've had other amazing Sake from this brewery and this one is just as amazing. Highly recommended!