Shirakawago Sasanigori Junmai Lightly Cloudy Sake 300ml

Tasting Notes

Founded in 1837 in Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, Miwa Shuzo is a historic Japanese brewery renowned for its deep specialization in unfiltered styles. Around fifty years ago, officials from Shirakawa Village commissioned Miwa Shuzo to recreate a sake reminiscent of the sacred, rustic unrefined sake served during the local Shirakawa-go Doburoku Festival. This historic partnership birthed the flagship Shirakawago line, and unfiltered varieties now account for roughly ninety percent of the brewery's total production. Drawing on pristine local water sources and regional Gifu rice varieties, Miwa Shuzo stands out as one of the few houses in Japan dedicated almost entirely to perfecting cloudy sake crafts.

The term sasanigori translates poetically to bamboo leaf cloudy, describing a style that features a delicate, whisper-thin haze rather than a heavy, opaque sediment layer. While traditional nigoris retain a thick, viscous concentration of rice solids, a sasanigori is lightly strained to leave behind only a fine, translucent veil reminiscent of thin snow dust. This subtle sediment level imparts a soft, velvety texture to the liquid without weighing down the palate, preserving the crisp acidity, bright aromatics, and clean structure of clear sake while offering a touch of rice-derived depth.

Brewed from local Hidahomare rice milled to sixty percent for a refined Junmai Ginjo foundation, Shirakawago Sasanigori presents a fresh, elegant profile. The nose delivers gentle aromas of steamed rice, white spring blossoms, subtle green melon, and cool cucumber. On the palate, the fine rice particles provide a smooth, silky mouthfeel that glides into a clean, remarkably dry taste profile grounded by crisp mineral notes. Free from the heavy sweetness often associated with unfiltered styles, this bottling finishes light, buoyant, and extraordinarily refreshing.

300ml