Ikioi Masamune Junmai Daiginjo Gold Carp, 15.6%, 720 ml

This Junmai Daiginjo is made from a variety of sake rice grown in Nagano, the "Sankei Nishiki", and sticky rice, fermented with yeast developed in Nagano prefecture and made by the inhabitants of the region. It offers clear clarity while delivering a unique and tasty flavor.

The chai master, produced this sake according to the method of yondan-jikomi, called brewing in 4 stages.

Maruse's unique brewing method, the "Mochigome Yondan Jikomi" (fermentation in four stages with mochi rice), is a distinct variant of the standard "Sandan Jikomi" (three-step fermentation). While traditional sake brewing involves three additions of ingredients over four days, their method adds steamed mochi rice as a fourth step. This ancient Japanese technique, once common, is now practised only by a handful of breweries throughout the country, and exclusively by Maruse in Nagano Prefecture. The brewery is deeply attached to this traditional process, which it uses for all its regular products, as it confers a unique, rich and always attractive flavor derived from sticky rice.

The design of Ikioi Masamune represents a carp climbing a waterfall (gate to the succession). The name "carp" of Ikioi Masamune evokes a product created with a new sensitivity thanks to the traditional method of fermentation of sticky rice in four stages, and the birth of a new carp. Exploring the new possibilities offered by this method, this sake offers a wide variety, brewed by exploiting the characteristics of sake rice, yeast and sticky rice.