Each and every sake is the fruit of a subtle alchemy between know-how honed over centuries and meticulously selected ingredients. The Toji is the conductor of this symphony, and his choices determine the sake's aromatic profile, its category and, consequently, its market price.

Each and every sake is the fruit of a subtle alchemy between know-how honed over centuries and meticulously selected ingredients. The Toji is the conductor of this symphony, and his choices determine the sake's aromatic profile, its category and, consequently, its market price. In certain situations, the Toji's decisions can have a considerable impact, elevating certain sakes to the rank of “exceptional cuvees”. Through a few examples, and adopting a step-by-step approach, we wanted to illustrate what makes these sakes so unique.


Affordable luxury
Fabulous Daïginjo are already available for relatively reasonable sums, but if you're prepared to pay a little more for the experience, you've entered the world of exceptional sakes.

Take Hyakujuro New Moon, for example. This is a sake produced using an exclusive method patented by the Hayashi Honten brewery called “additive-free lactobacillary fermentation”.

This involves cultivating lactobacilli during the fermentation stages. The aim is to increase the concentration of lactic acid in the tanks to protect the work of the yeasts. The difference with other techniques is that not two, but three biological agents are simultaneously present in the fermentation tanks: Koji, yeast and lactobacilli. A veritable revolution in the concept of “parallel fermentations” specific to sake.
Technique isn't everything for New Moon, and the choice of ingredients is just as decisive. The rice used is Hatsushimo, a rare and highly aromatic rice endemic to the Gifu region. The same goes for the yeast. Named “G2”, it is entirely developed on this local terroir. A sake to be discovered as much for its elegance as for the combination of new and unique methods halfway between Yamahaï and Sokujo.

Of the same level, we find Harada Daiginjo, for example, Shuho Soden Legend, Eiichi Junmaï Daiginjo, or Kameizumi Biryusen.


The brewing elite
Let's move up a notch to find a category that groups together the sakes considered by each brewery to be their most accomplished Daïginjo.

Sogen Samurai King is one such example, a Daïginjo made from Yamadanishiki “Grade A” rice, the highest quality available, from Hyogo prefecture, a region renowned for producing the finest sake rice in Japan. In other words, the nec plus ultra. The degree of polish is 35%, and fermentation follows the classic methods of the Nototoji guild. The result is a sake with a pronounced umami.

Samuraï King has won the gold medal at the prestigious Concours National des Sakés 19 times! The care taken in preparation, the choice of ingredients and the typicality of the method have made an indelible mark on the history of “zen koku shishu kampikaï”, the benchmark when it comes to judging the work of brewers, a competition organized every year since 1911 by the National Association of Sake Producers.

Samurai King is now a rarity, as the brewery and its employees were hit hard by the Noto earthquake on January 1, 2024. Even if the resumption of production is announced, the availability of Samurai King is likely to be a long time coming.

In the same vein, we find Koi sake, Sugata Junmai Daiginjo, Stella Premium and Shichiken Onakaya Tobinkakoï.


The ultimate in sophistication
With these sakes, we enter the realm of art. For the breweries, it's more a question of sharing their philosophy, their ethics, with international appeal. Few breweries are capable of presenting sakes of this level, and here are two examples with Stella Sense and Shichiken Hakushin.

Stella Sense is a true masterpiece, produced at a rate of 250 bottles a year, of which only 100 leave Japan. The rice used in its composition is grown on terraces on the slopes of Mount Tsukuba, more precisely on a tiny plot of land at the very spot where the spring gushes forth. It is thus irrigated by the purest water available. The variety of rice and its degree of polish are not disclosed, as Inaba Shuzo wishes to go beyond technical arguments, giving priority to the artistic quality of the concept.

With Stella Sense, this microbrewery of just five people shows the world a work of goldsmith's art, an ultimate cuvée reserved for the world's most prestigious tables.

With Shichiken Hakushin, Yamanashi Meijo's brewery aims to illustrate the “white spirit” of Hakushu, recalling the purity and delicacy of water from the melting snow of Mount Kaikomagatake.

The rice is grown at the same altitude as the spring, which in turn is at the same altitude as the brewery. It therefore feeds on the same water as that used in the production process, with the intention of perfect homogeneity. Maturation at -5 degrees for a year adds the freshness of the Japanese Alps to the imagination.

The superb packaging was entrusted to artist Ena Furuya. A native of Yamanashi, she specializes in the traditional fabric-dyeing technique known as “roketsu”. The snow-capped mountains are discreetly elegant on both the label and the box.


Le lexique associé aux cuvées exceptionnelles

Tsuki-Haze : une manière particulière de préparer le Koji destiné à la production des sakés Ginjo et Daïginjo (en opposition à So-Haze, pour les Junmaï et Honjozo). Dans le cas du tsuki-haze, le Koji kin colonise les grains de riz par l'intérieur et non pas en commençant par la surface.

Seimaïbuaï : le degré de polissage du riz. Il est forcément élevé pour ces cuvées qui rassemble uniquement des Daïginjo.

Sakamaï : le riz à saké. Il est sélectionné parmi les meilleurs souches et dans les meilleures régions de production, pour obtenir les meilleurs sakés.

Kasubuaï : Pourcentage de kasu restant après la presse par rapport au volume de riz utilisé pour la production de saké. En règle générale, plus le kashunuaï est haut et plus le saké est prestigieux.

Kobo : les levures sont choisies avec soin parmi les levures à Ginjo commerciales, régionales ou les levures maison.

Funeshibori ou fukuroshibori : cette méthode de filtration consiste à placer le contenu des cuves de fermentation dans des sacs de toile avant de les presser dans un pressoir en bois. Méthode choisie pour les sakés haut de gamme, en opposition avec l'utilisation de machines de type Yabuta.

Shizukuzake ou Shizukudori : correspond au gouttes de saké qui s'écoulent des sacs de toile dans la méthode fukuroshibori.

Tobingakoï ou tobindori : correspond au cœur de l'écoulement du shizukuzake. Un "Tobin" est une dame-jeanne de 18 litres dans laquelle est stocké le saké.

Binkan : la façon de pasteuriser, ici en bouteille, illustre aussi le soin apporté au produit. En opposition avec Jakan qui consiste à pasteuriser l'ensemble de la cuve.