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

Founded in 1870 in Nakano, in Nagano Prefecture, at the heart of the upheavals of the Meiji Restoration, the house of Maruse Shuzo-ten has carried since its inception the ideal of a peaceful and harmonious world instilled by its founder Shichirō — an ideal it has upheld across five generations through the crafting of sake of the highest quality.

Deeply rooted in a city historically devoted to agriculture and brewing, once home to numerous breweries, it maintains a close bond with its community, contributing to its vitality while asserting a strong local identity. True to its traditions, it stands out through the use of "Mochigome Yondan Jikomi", an ancestral four-stage fermentation method incorporating glutinous rice, rare in Japan and unique within the prefecture, lending its sakes a richness, a deep umami and a sought-after balance between dryness and subtle sweetness — further refined since 2006 by an exacting technique of directly incorporating hot mochi rice to encourage a more complex fermentation. Deeply attached to its terroir, the brewery uses exclusively locally grown, high-altitude rice varieties — Hitogokochi, Kinmon Nishiki, Yamae Nishiki and Himenomochi — benefiting from favourable climatic conditions, as well as snowmelt water from Shiga Kogen, meticulously purified to preserve its essential mineral qualities. Driven by the symbol of the carp swimming upstream through rapids, an embodiment of perseverance and achievement, it pursues a quest for excellence and distinction, crafting sakes designed to be chosen, combining heritage, expertise and contemporary standards.