Aroma (less-more): ★★★★☆
Complexity/Body (light-full):★★★★★
Sweetness (sweet-dry):★★★★☆
Texture (soft-hard):★★★☆☆
After-flavor (short-long):★★★☆☆
Finish/Kire (short-long):★★★☆☆
 
 
Brewery: Itakura Shuzo
Prefecture: Shimane
Catergory: Junmai
Sub: Kimoto, Nigori
Rice: Gohyakumangoku, Tsuyahime
Polishing ratio: 60%
SMV: +5
Yeast: Kimoto No adding
Alcohol: 14.5%
Amino: 1.3
Acidity: 2.0
Filtered: No
Pasteurized: 1
Adding Water: No
Fermentation Method: Kimoto
 
“Ten’on” is the name of the sake produced by Itakura Sake Brewery, which was established in 1871. The name “Ten’on” was derived from the Buddhist scripture “Mugenten’on,” which was given to them by Sakamoto, the head of the Kanju-ji Temple in Tokyo in 1916. “Mugenten’on” means that if the heavens are calm, there will be no trouble, and it is a word that expresses the hope that the world and its future will be peaceful.
Sake is made to offer prayers of gratitude for nature, gods, and ancestors who have given us rice, which is a gift from nature. It has been called “Omiki” and has been considered the highest offering that Japanese people dedicate to nature and gods.
 
The aim of Ten’on and Mugenten’on is to create a pure and gentle sake that soothes the hearts of those who drink it. In this time’s kimoto, cloudy sediment was added to 100% rice to make junmai-shu without adding Hie like R3BY. Before saying that good sake cannot be made without suitable rice, let’s try making it with cooking rice and set a new goal. Sake can be made from any type of rice, including grains mixed with other cereals or potatoes, and before grains were used, sake was made from fruits and honey. The most important thing is the spiritual aspect of sake brewing, not the tools used.
 
【R4BY】Nigori Kimoto
This is a sake made by adding nigori (unfiltered) to the Kimoto Junmai sake of R4BY (same text as Kimoto Junmai below).
With the renewal, the rice variety was changed from 70% Gohyakumangoku for the koji and 70% Tsuyahime for the main mash from the previous improved Omachi 70%. The main reasons for changing the rice variety were to secure stock for both Tenkun and Kimoto Junmai, and the diminishing difference between Tenkun and the previous Kimoto Junmai made with improved Omachi. The previous Kimoto Junmai had been made with 70% improved Omachi in a ginjo brewing style, which was an over-specification. With Tenkun branching out, the concept that had been pursued with the Kimoto Junmai improved Omachi was transferred to Tenkun, and Kimoto Junmai achieved its original goal.
Now, with the brewery's overall stock depleted and no more suitable rice available, Kimoto Junmai needed a new mission. That is to aim for high-quality junmai sake made from ordinary rice. With suitable rice decreasing, fewer farmers, and inability to grow our own rice, can we really take pride in making sake using large volumes of rice from outside the prefecture and calling it a local sake?
Like Shiranabeeru and Jozen, shouldn't we also accumulate knowledge on making high-quality sake from ordinary rice? In the future, when various people domestically and internationally start making sake, what will happen to sake breweries? If Japan's self-sufficiency declines further, wouldn't it be a detriment to think that good sake cannot be made without suitable rice? These thoughts crossed my mind. If the issue cannot be solved with equipment or tools, then we must solve it with technique. That has been my way of life as a brewer and what I have practiced.
The experiences of making Sanin Ginjo and Kimoto should also apply to brewing with ordinary rice. Instead of saying good sake cannot be made without suitable rice, we set a new goal to try making it with ordinary rice.
Looking at the long history, the idea of insisting on suitable rice varieties is relatively recent. Originally, sake was made from any kind of rice, with various grains and even tubers added, and before grains, it was made from fruits and honey. What's important is not the tools, but the spiritual aspect of sake brewing.
In terms of ingredients, this is a downgrade. However, we will continue brewing with techniques, spirits, and concepts that will convince you, so please support us.