NV Fukumitsuya DO DO Kuroobi Ishikawa 750 ml

A hundred years ago, snow fell on Mt. Hakkusan.

The following spring, it melted, seeping into the ground. Over the last century, it’s slowly worked its way down through layer after layer of rock, which filter out impurities and add their own minerals. It eventually ended up in the well of Fukumitsuya brewery in Ishikawa prefecture—and it’s not a stretch to say it’s the most coveted water in Japan.

Fukumitsuya turned it into a sake that blew our expert—a professional certified sake judge—away. That’s not easy to do.

Fukumitsuya began in 1625 and you feel the history in every inch of their buildings. The first thing we did on our visit was drink their famous water out of a sacred font. “When you experience that you can really feel the texture and complexity of the 100 year old water,” Ayako San said, and it was unlike any water we tried: rich, savory and delicious.

The next step is, of course, rice: Yamadanishiki is the king of sake rice, which is what most other top brewers in the area use. But Fukumitsuya adds in the Kinmonishiki variety, an ancient cultivar that was nearly extinct before the brewery began sourcing it to use in their production. The combination builds in complexity—as does the exceptionally rare step of polishing the rice to three different levels (Junmai, Junmai Ginjo, and Junmai Daiginjo) and blending the results.

If it were just those steps, the Fukumitsuya DO DO would be unlike anything out there. But they also employ the old-school Yamahai method of fermentation. This method adds richness and texture but takes a full month to complete, and then they age the sake on the lees for incredible depth and complexity.