It was served at a kappo restaurant in Odate City, Akita Prefecture 🥰.
I thought I took a picture of the bottle, but the picture was not saved 🤗.
(I barely managed to get a picture of the menu in blurry focus and the entrance sign of the restaurant)
I'm not even sure if it counts...
It has no peculiarities at all, but the moment you take a sip of it, the elegant sweetness and umami spreads through your mouth, leaving a deep aftertaste and passing through lightly... It's hard to describe, but it was a gem that had all the "elements of a good sake in my opinion," so I checked it in for the sake's record!
I think it will be released around the end of the year, so I want to empty my sake cellar now and wait with all my might!
(*I'm going to get it no matter what)
I don't know much about it, but it seems to be a bit of a special kind of alcohol, so below is a brief description by AI that I picked up on the internet...
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Yamagata Sanko (山形讃香) is a Junmai Daiginjo aimed at the highest quality sake in Yamagata Prefecture, planned by the Yamagata Sake Brewers Association.
It is brewed from "Yuki-no-Majin," a rice developed in Yamagata Prefecture for sake brewing, by breweries that have achieved top results in sake competitions judged by the Yamagata Sake Brewers Association for sake made with Yuki-no-Majin.
The breweries that brewed Yamagata Sanka (Yamagata-san) in 2024 are,
Kato Kahachiro Shuzo (Oyama),
Gassan Shuzo (Ginrei-Gassan),
Chiyozu Toraya Brewery (Chiyozu).
Yamagata Sanko is sold at major retailers in the prefecture and at major outlets outside the prefecture.
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The three breweries mentioned above all brew Yamagata Sanko with the same "35% Yuki Meishin" rice, but they all seem to have different yeast, alcohol content, and other specs.
I think the one I got was Yamagata Sanko from Gassan Shuzo 🤔.
These kinds of projects and collaborative products that transcend the boundaries of breweries are becoming more and more common.
It's exciting to see the rise and new swell of sake culture!