NV Hamafukutsuru Bizen Omachi Daiginjo Hyogo 750 ml

On a warm spring evening in 2018, we settled in at a bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo’s bustling entertainment district. We saw a beautiful, unfamiliar label behind the bar, so we asked for a taste—and we were greeted with one of the most elegantly complex daiginjo sakes we had tried in years! The flavors came in waves: green apple, essence of honeysuckle, and top notes of sea-spray and crushed limestone.

The sake was incredibly multifaceted and long. We had to know more. We had to taste more.

That sake was the Hamafukutsuru Bizen Omachi Daiginjo Hyogo, from a 214-year-old brewery in Kobe, and its charm comes from a special alchemy of rare spring water and two heirloom rices. It made such an impression on us that we had to take a six-pack home on the plane.

The Hamafukutsuru Bizen Omachi Daiginjo Hyogo defines the essence of daiginjo, the luxury category of sake in which at least 50% of the rice is polished away before brewing. This meticulous brewing process uses two special heirloom strains of rice: Bizen Omachi and locally grown Yamada Nishiki. The water, known as Miyamizu, is hard—high in calcium and potassium but low in iron—making it ideal for creating rich, full-flavored sake like this one. This water—and the reverence for the craft—is the reason the Nada ward is so famous for sake.

This is an elegantly complex sake with remarkable structure and uplifting acidity. It’s ideal for anything from a seafood tower with Dungeness crab, lobster, and gulf prawns to a rich and hearty New England–style clam chowder.