Tamanohikari
Est. 1673
Tamanohikari was one of the first breweries in Japan to popularize junmai sake in the 1960s. This was cutting edge and risky at the time—junmai sake consumes 1.8 times the amount of rice compared to non-junmai varieties and this was being introduced to a customer base not familiar with the benefits. Furthermore, Tamanohikari primarily use bizen-omachi, yamadanishiki, and iwai rice for their sake. These are all more expensive, rarer breeds of rice strains.
Stringent brewing requirements and ingredients make for a risky value proposal when these things were first introduced to the market. The results paid off though. Tamanohikari stands as one of the few breweries consistently producing high-quality junmai ginjo sake for decades.
Tamanohikari. Kyoto.
Tamanohikari. Kyoto.
Tamanohikari. Kyoto.
Tamanohikari. Kyoto.
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Tamanohikari’s Junmai Daiginjo holds a special place in my heart. Why? it’s one of the first sakes that made me take a step back and think—“Wow, is this really what sake should taste like?”
Based out of Fushimi in Kyoto, Tamanohikari makes a stunner of a daiginjo. As you smell the sake in the glass, an aromatic perfume of flowers, melon, passion fruit, and a touch of coconut spring up. When tasting, it also presents a delicate but fatty texture with a hint of melon on the palate.
Beginners and seasoned sake lovers will enjoy Tamanohikari’s Junmai Daiginjo. It goes well on its own and can pair alongside richer foods.