Yamada Shoten Everlasting Roots Tokubetsu Junmai: A Tiny Sake Brewery

A Sake brewery which is operated primarily by a single person! Usually, a brewery is a united effort, with numerous workers, each with their own assignment, contributing to the production of the Sake. Obviously, the larger the brewery, the more workers that are required. However, some of the smallest of breweries may be operated with a handful of people, if not even a single person.  

The Yamada Shoten "Everlasting Roots" Tokubetsu Junmai ($39.95) is a new arrival at Victoria Hill Wine, Spirits & Gourmet, in Melrose. The Yamada Shoten brewery, which was established in 1868, is located in the Gifu Prefecture, a land-locked region on Honshu Island. It is a tiny, family-owned microbrewery, which only produces about 280 koku of Sake each year, equivalent to a little over 50,000 liters (which is roughly akin to 67,000 750ml wine bottles). 

Their Toji, Sake brewmaster, is Masaki Uno, works almost exclusively alone, producing only a single tank of Sake each week. No mechanization, including no temperature control during fermentation, is used in the production process. Everything is done very traditionally, and the kanji on the label of this Sake translates as “nothing has changed since the beginning,” a recognition of their adherence to the traditional way.

The Yamada Shoten Everlasting Roots Tokubetsu Junmai is produced from local Hida Homare rice, which was cultivated so it would do especially well in high altitudes, such as the mountainous Takayama region. This is also the signature rice of the Gifu Prefecture. It shares a similar taste profile to the famed Yamadanishiki rice, but because of its larger shinpaku, the "white heart" where the starch is located, it cannot be polished down as much as Yamadanishiki. Yamada Shoten also mills the rice at their brewery, which is very unusual for small breweries. 

This Sake, with a 15% ABV, is bottled in a 900ml container, which is actually the smallest bottle they use. The standard Sake bottle is 720ml, about 24 ounces, so the 900ml bottle has an additional 6 ounces. As a Junmai, the Sake only contains four ingredients: rice, water, yeast and koji-kin. And as a Tokubetsu, the Sake has been specially brewed in some manner, although there isn't a legal requirement of what that has to be. The rice for this Sake has been polished down to 55%, which would qualify it for a Ginjo level, so this is likely its Tokubetsu aspect. The Sake is also vegan and gluten free. 

The "Everlasting Roots" is dry, with high acidity, a medium body, and good umami. It has a savory taste, with a prominent licorice/anise element and subtle aspects of citrus, salted nuts and a touch of smokiness. It's said that it would pair well with seafood and pork, and probably would also go well with barbecue or grilled meats. This Sake was popular at a recent tasting I held, and it's a great way to catch a glimpse into more traditional Sake.