Kamotsuru comes from the combination of two words "kamosu" which means brewing (and refers to where the brewery draws its waters from, Mount Kamo), and "tsuru" which refers to the crane bird, a symbol of good fortune in Japan. 

The brewery is entirely pivotal for the Sake brewing world for devising a method to brew with soft water - for centuries prior, the prevailing thought was that hard water or mineral rich water was necessary to nourish the yeasts so that fermentation could happen robustly. And thus areas like Hyogo's Nada district and Kyoto's Fushimi ward were prized for their Sakes which were made with the local hard water. Hiroshima, on the other hand, where Kamotsuru is located, has the exactly opposite ultra soft water.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe serving Kamotsuru's Gold Sake to former US President Obama.

Yet, it was a series of major innovations that happened at Kamotsuru that pole vaulted it to success - even more recently, it was served at the famed Japanese restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro (from Jiro Dreams of Sushi) where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had hosted former US President Obama.

The brewery traces its official establishment date to 1873, although brewing had taken place there much earlier. It was on that date that the brewery's founder Wahei Kimura named his Sakes "Kamotsuru". Several innovators had gifted the Sake brewery with inventions and new practices that shaped Kamotsuru, one such person was Riichi Satake who devised the first powered rice polishing mill, and another is Senzaburou Miura who had cracked the code on a soft water brewing method - he had done so by culturing the Koji mold sufficiently that the Koji would penetrate the rice gain's inner core, and he would then ferment the Sake mash at low temperatures, all of which was to ensure the rice could be saccharified for fermentation. These were major breakthroughs that led Kamotsuru to produce incredibly high quality Sakes. 

In recognition of Kamotsuru's contributions to Sake brewing, their yeast was selected as the 5th Association Yeast to be distributed nationally. Kamotsuru was also amongst the first to produce the Ginjo class of Sakes, where the rice polishing ratio is at least 60%, and then by 1958, Kamotsuru lays claim to being the first brewery to produce a Daiginjo class of Sakes. When the US became open to Japanese Sake imports, Kamotsuru too was fast on the game, being amongst the first Japanese brewers to export their Sakes to the US, breaking ground in just 1896. All of these have led Kamotsuru to become the leading brewer in Saijo, Hiroshima, and the brewery has gone on to win over a hundred medals (and famously the Honorary Grand Prize at the 1990 Paris World Exposition) and counting at the national Japan Sake Awards till this day.

Kamotsuru traces its competitive edge to its philosophy of Shu-Chu-Zai-Shin which translates to "craftsmanship lives in its Sake", in reference to the practice of making Sake being just as, if not more, important as the ingredients used. To that end, they endeavour to create a Sake defined as Ama-Kara-Pin-Uma or "gentle sweetness, dry, refreshing and tasteful". Despite its illustrious history of innovation, Kamotsuru keeps a traditional approach to how it makes its Sakes, opting to keep with the use of wood as much as possible instead of the more frequented stainless steel, and also preferring to utilise labor intensive manual processes instead of automation.

Today, Kamotsuru is a sizeably large Sake brewery helmed uniquely by four Toji brewmasters, each of which helming a Kura of their own. Each Kura is focused on brewing aspects of Kamotsuru's stable of over 20 Sake labels. Kura Number 8 focuses on solely the Gold Kamotsuru (the one served to former President Obama), Kura Number 4 features the latest refrigeration facilities and brews the Shiboritate Sakes, whilst Kura Number 2 works the bulk of Kamotsuru's Junmai-shu, and finally the Head Toji helms the Kura Misono which brews the Hiyashizake. Once a year, Kamotsuru releases a Sake named Shi Toji Shiki Shu which translates as "Four Toji's, Four Seasons", named after the brewery's practice of having four Toji's lead four Kura's.

And so with all that said, it's time to try something very special from Kamotsuru. Perhaps the biggest innovation the brewery has been focused on as of late has been to re-cultivate and bring back local rice varietals that have gone out of use.

Today we're trying the Kamotsuru Hiroshima Nishiki Junmai Daiginjo, courtesy of Sake Festival Singapore which is organised by Orihara! It really was a wonderful afternoon with such an immense selection of great Sakes, this was just one of them! And so back to this Sake, it's brewed with Hiroshima Nishiki rice along with Kamotsuru's Association Yeast No. 5! Quite the homage to the Kamotsuru brewery!

The Hiroshima Nishiki rice was revived from seeds, and is said to have been very popular for Sake brewing back in the early Showa period, however it has a relatively small grain and had a tendency to fall over due to its tall height, and so fell out of use. Kamotsuru thus worked with farmers to bring back this historical rice varietal, and for this Sake expression we're trying today, it's 100% Hiroshima Nishiki that's been polished in-house and brewed by hand during the cold winter at Kura Number 2. This Sake made with Kamotsuru's own rice and yeast, has a rice polishing ratio of 38%.

Let's give it a taste!

Sake Review: Kamotsuru Hiroshima Nishiki Junmai Daiginjo | 賀茂鶴 純米大吟醸 広島錦

Tasting Notes

Colour: Clear

Aroma: Bright fruity notes of banana, custard apple, orange fleshed honeydews, it's incredibly rich and creamy, with just a light lactic quality of tart yogurt. Great perfumed and fruity aroma here!

Taste: The richness and creamy quality persists on the palate, with more on tinned fruit syrup, fruit cordials, honeydews and custard apples, all topped over some yogurt. It's medium-bodied with a fuller flavour. Well-expressed and intensely fruity!

Finish: It's alittle more musky here, more on custard apples and pineapples, finished off with a slight umaminess of bonito flakes.

My Thoughts

This was not only incredibly tasty with such richness and vibrance, but was very intriguing too, displaying such different fruity flavours than I've yet experienced in any other Sake. Here it's intensely fruity and vibrant, with bright flavours that are balanced out by the richness and creamy texture. The flavours were incredibly bold and well-expressed, making this altogether such a standout and complex Sake. This is an incredibly well-executed Sake that would blow your top off whether you're just starting out, or if you're a seasoned Sake lover - this will surprise you, as it did for me!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot