Story VINTAGIENCE - Japanse Vintage Sake

Product

( 2001 )

焔霞 HONOKA

( 1995 )

碧雨 HEKIU

( 1995 )

煌宵 KIRAYOI

Story

Rare Peculiarity of Passion,
Craft, and Climate
And a Vintage Borne from that Combination

Location

Iga, Mie Prefecture

Surrounded by mountains and abundant nature, the village of Shinobi-no-Sato (Ninja Village) has a place where super soft water with a hardness of just 3.0 can be found. Normally, this water would not be suitable for sake brewing, however only the water from this land can be used to make surprisingly delicious sake. The sake has a soft, smooth texture and a delicate, gentle taste. Strangely enough, the flavor is refined and becomes more profoundly delicious as the sake is left to rest.

The challenge of VINTAGIENCE began when this 180-year-old sake brewery realized the new possibilities of sake.

Method

Unparalleled Maturation with Time and a Scientific Approach

VINTAGIENCE’s sake brewing reflects a scientific approach and deep commitment.

Emphasizing the intrinsic value of old sake, we mature our stored sake for 10 to roughly 25 years. From icy cold temperatures of -4°C to outdoor air temperatures outside our warehouses, we test a wide variety of storage methods and sake values to check overall quality.

The core of the sake brewing process lies in the initial brewing process, the technique to stabilize sake with a minute fibrillation and particulate structure. Once the sake base is in a form suitable for vintage sake, it can be stored undisturbed even when it becomes old, retaining the delicious taste of sake koji and rice. This allows the sake to enjoy a whiskey-esque aged taste while maintaining its quality.

We also stress the importance of first producing stable sake values and the necessity for 10 years of temperature control, and scientifically analyzing the changes in taste caused by water pressure and vibration. These processes and theoretical studies transform VINTAGIENCE into a pinnacle of vintage sake unlike any other.

Gradation of
the aging

A Gradation of Maturity that Took Half a Lifetime to Create

For decades, we have been resting sake of various qualities while meticulously recording the differences in taste depending on the maturation temperature and natural changes caused by the passing time. Day in and day out, we wait with bated breath for the sake to reach its peak until eventually, the sake matures and weaves a gradation of flavors that exceeds even our own imagination.

New possibilities for sake. A taste resulting from half a life devoted to these possibilities. VINTAGIENCE could not have been realized without the passion of those who have brewed sake with their own hands and continued to love it.

Please experience this unexplored territory of sake.