Chochin’s sakes are bold and brash, but because this one is aged for 6 months the complexity of flavors has had time to mingle and mellow out a bit. Get aromas of peach, mango, and cream. We tasted juiciness of tropical fruits and a bitterness akin to dark chocolate. While this sake is great at room temperature, we also loved it slightly warmed alongside a big bowl of steamed mussels. 

Says Jesse Pugach of Fifth Taste, who imports the sake, “Chochin is a very small brewery located in Aichi and we are fortunate that Kuwayama-san agreed to begin exporting it to us. He is a man of tireless devotion. They don’t use machines, the one exception is a single pump, used only once in the process to move the moromi into the Yabuta press. The shubo is ladeled, and rice is washed by hand. To say that Kuwayama-san is obsessive would be an understatement, he makes 250 koku (45K liters) a year, while the size of his facility could easily accommodate 5 times that. When I asked him why not more his reply was, ‘because I’d die’ and that is not an exaggeration. The entire season he survives on a little more than three hours of sleep a day, eating very little because he knows if his stomach is full he’ll fall asleep right away. He makes up the calories with chocolate. Of course the newspaper wrapping is also by hand, done by the mother, wife (who also is in charge of bottling) and daughter.”

This bottle is a Sake Gumi selection! It was featured first to our members in February 2025.

Features

• Brewed in Aichi, Japan by Chochin Shuzo
• Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu
• Seimaibuai (rice kernel remaining): Yamada Nishiki 50% (Kojimai) + Hattan Nishiki 55% (Kakemai)
• ABV 18% / SMV: +11 / Acidity: 2.0 / Yeast: No. 9
• 24 fl oz (720ml)