Yoko met Soichiro Tsuji of Tsuji Honten in August of 2024. She was honored to meet him as Soichiro and his sister Maiko-san (who is the toji) make some of her favorite sakes. When Soichiro-san and his sister took over the brewery from their father's generation, they knew they had to do something different to define themselves from other breweries. They set out to brew all of their sake with 100% Okayama grown Omachi rice in the Gozenshu Bodaimoto style. In addition to carrying their Gozenshu Bodaimoto Nigori Junmai, which has been a favorite at the store for years, I featured their 1859 Bodaimoto Junmai in August 2024 for Sake Gumi. In June of 2024, Soichiro-san introduced Yoko this very special sake: Gozenshu Tokuto Omachi 2.2.

"Most top-of-the-line sakes are highly polished diaiginjos. My sister and I wanted to do something different and prove that you can make a superb sake that was not reliant strictly on polishing. So we set out to work with our local rice farmers to grow the best Omachi rice possible." With farmers they were able to grow tokuto (highest grade) Omachi sake rice. These grains are large, and they use a 2.2 mm sieve that saves only the plumpest, perfectly round rice grains that have desirable starch content for sake brewing. 

"I wanted this to be a 100% Okayama product, so I asked my woodworker friends at Momo-Tane to make a hinoki canister that holds each of these bottles," said Soichiro-san. The canister is exquisite. Made in the image of a chazutsu (tin tea caddy), this air tight wooden container is a work of art. 

This viscous, silky sake exhibits the complexity of Omachi rice, in the most luxurious sense. A slight acidity thanks to Gozenshu's special bodaimoto method complements a fuller body hinting at the signature earthiness that Omachi is known for. This sake is both a masterpiece in flavor and presentation.

Features

• Brewed in Okayama, Japan by Tsuji Shuzo
• Junmai Daiginjo Bodaimoto
• Seimaibuai (rice kernal remaining): Okayama Tokuto Omachi 40%; SMV: -3
• ABV 16%
• 24 fl oz (720ml)