Terada Honke, Katori 90, Junmai Muroka Namagenshu

The Terada Honke has been running for over 300 years spanning 24 generations. The amazing thing is that very little has changed in regards to farming and brewing. They organically cultivate all the rice that is fermented and brewed into their saké. Fermentation is entirely done with ambient yeasts. Nothing is added in their brewing. The Katori 90 defies the customary belief that the more rice that is polished in each grain, the better. Only 10% is shaved off in the Katori 90 which leaves more of the bran and sugars in each grain. The result is a higher proof liquid that retains much of the umami and intensity. Expect flavors for bitter melon, honeydew, nori, and lactic yogurt. Keep in mind that the extra sugars in the grain have translated to a 20% abv.