{"title":"Aoki Shuzo· 青木酒造","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eShiozawa, Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture · Est. 1717\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eNiigata is Japan's most celebrated sake prefecture. home to legendary names, award-winning breweries, and a style so distinctive it has its own vocabulary. But ask someone who actually lives in Uonuma what they drink with dinner, and the answer is often Kakurei. This is the local sake; the one that has been on Uonuma tables for three hundred years, brewed by people who understand the rhythms of this particular stretch of snow country in a way that prestige labels rarely do.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eThe brewery sits in Shiozawa, in Minamiuonuma, a part of Niigata so deeply buried in winter that cumulative snowfall can exceed six metres in a single season. This is not just a meteorological fact, it is the foundation of everything Aoki Shuzo makes. The rice is grown with snowmelt water. The brewing water comes from snow that has filtered through the mountains over years before surfacing as groundwater. The cold keeps fermentation slow and precise, guided by the Echigo-Toji; the master brewers of the Niigata tradition, known for producing sake of uncommon delicacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eNiigata's famous style is \u003cem\u003etanrei karakuchi\u003c\/em\u003e: light, clean, and dry. The body is restrained, the finish crisp, the whole effect elegant and unassuming. Sake that never overwhelms, that you can keep drinking through an entire meal without fatigue. It is the style that made Niigata famous, and it is what most people think of when they think of the prefecture. Aoki Shuzo recently made a deliberate, subtle shift. Their direction now is \u003cem\u003etanrei umakuchi;\u003c\/em\u003e which keeps the same light, clean character but draws out something more: the genuine umami of the rice itself. Where karakuchi ends cleanly and dryly, umakuchi lingers a moment longer, leaving a faint, satisfying richness on the palate. Not sweet, not heavy, just more \u003cem\u003ealive\u003c\/em\u003e. It is a small difference that changes the whole experience of drinking it with food.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eThe brewery's most striking asset is something that predates electricity entirely: their yukimuro, or snow cellar. Each winter, tonnes of snow are packed into an insulated storage room. As the seasons warm, the snow melts slowly, maintaining a constant temperature of around 5°C inside. Perfectly stable, with none of the fluctuations that affect electric refrigeration. Sake stored in the yukimuro over summer matures gently and evenly, developing a softness and integration that is difficult to achieve any other way. The Kakurei Yukimuro Vintage, aged in the snow room for multiple years, is the clearest expression of what that patience produces: smooth, rounded, and quietly luminous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eOne more thread worth following: the brand name Kakurei was coined by an ancestor of the brewery, a merchant and writer named Bokushi Suzuki, born in 1770. He spent thirty years writing \u003cem\u003eHokuetsu Seppu\u003c\/em\u003e \"Snow Stories of North Etsu Province\",  a book about life in Uonuma that became one of the bestsellers of the late Edo period. Their second brand, Yukiotoko (Snow Yeti), takes its name from a creature that appears in its pages. The sake, in other words, is named by a man who loved this place enough to spend a lifetime writing about it. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"kakurei-junmai-daiginjo","title":"Kakurei Junmai Daiginjo","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eAn elegant Junmai Daiginjo brewed with Koshitanrei rice from Niigata and polished to 40%. Smooth and well-balanced, it opens with gentle floral notes and soft fruit before a refined layer of rice umami and a clean finish. Once selected for Japan Airlines international business class, it shows Kakurei’s polished, approachable style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aoki Shuzo","offers":[{"title":"720ml","offer_id":33401969115224,"sku":"004001","price":59.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1800ml","offer_id":33401969147992,"sku":"004009","price":115.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/0579\/4904\/files\/Aokishuzo_KakureiJDG720.webp?v=1781701295"},{"product_id":"kakurei-junmai-ginjo","title":"Kakurei Junmai Ginjo","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eA light and refreshing Junmai Ginjo brewed with Koshi Tanrei rice from Niigata. Delicate floral aromas lead into a soft, clean palate with gentle rice umami and a smooth finish. Elegant but approachable, this sake shows Kakurei’s signature balance of freshness, clarity and subtle depth.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aoki Shuzo","offers":[{"title":"720ml","offer_id":33399453876312,"sku":"004002","price":34.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1800ml","offer_id":33399453909080,"sku":"004003","price":69.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"300ml","offer_id":39743571099736,"sku":"004010","price":16.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/0579\/4904\/files\/Aokishuzo_KakureiJG720.webp?v=1775656686"},{"product_id":"yukiotoko-honjozo","title":"Yukiotoko Honjozo","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eA crisp and dry Honjozo from Aoki Shuzo, brewed in the snowy Shiozawa area of Niigata. Light, clean and refreshing, it has gentle fragrance from the added brewer’s alcohol, clear rice notes and a sharp, smooth finish. A classic Tanrei-Karakuchi style sake with a pure, mineral-like freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aoki Shuzo","offers":[{"title":"720ml","offer_id":33402102448216,"sku":"004004","price":29.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1800ml","offer_id":33402102480984,"sku":"004005","price":55.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/0579\/4904\/files\/Aokishuzo_Yukiotokohonjozo720.webp?v=1775656498"},{"product_id":"yukiotoko-junmaishu","title":"Yukiotoko Junmaishu","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eA bold and dry Junmaishu from Aoki Shuzo, brewed with Miyamanishiki rice and soft snowmelt water from Niigata’s Shiozawa area. Fuller than the Honjozo, it combines rich rice umami with a crisp, refreshing finish. A classic Tanrei-Karakuchi sake with depth, structure and a clean dryness.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aoki Shuzo","offers":[{"title":"720ml","offer_id":33402122174552,"sku":"004015","price":35.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1800ml","offer_id":33402122207320,"sku":"004016","price":67.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"180ml","offer_id":39749827493976,"sku":"004022","price":8.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/0579\/4904\/files\/Aokishuzo_Yukiotokojunmaishu720.webp?v=1776259035"},{"product_id":"kakurei-umeshu-junmai-ginjo-shikomi","title":"Kakurei Umeshu Junmai Ginjo Shikomi","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eAn elegant umeshu made by infusing Kakurei Junmai Ginjo sake with carefully selected plums from Niigata. The sweetness is balanced with a restrained amount of rock sugar, allowing the smooth sake base and natural plum character to shine. Rich yet refined, with mellow fruit, soft sweetness and a clean finish.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aoki Shuzo","offers":[{"title":"720ml","offer_id":39491305832536,"sku":"004014","price":39.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1800ml","offer_id":46372147069254,"sku":"004031","price":89.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/0579\/4904\/files\/Aokishuzo_Kakureiumeshu720.webp?v=1775655992"},{"product_id":"kakurei-yamadanishiki-37-junmai-daiginjo","title":"Kakurei Yamadanishiki 37% Junmai Daiginjo","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe top expression of the Kakurei range, brewed with Yamadanishiki rice from Hyogo and polished to 37%. Elegant and aromatic, it opens with gentle floral notes and soft fruit before moving into a smooth, refined palate. Delicate sweetness and a graceful finish make this a polished Junmai Daiginjo with a luxurious but approachable character.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aoki Shuzo","offers":[{"title":"720ml","offer_id":39491066789976,"sku":"004021","price":85.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/0579\/4904\/files\/Aokishuzo_KakureiJDG37720.webp?v=1775655919"},{"product_id":"yukiotoko-junmaishu-nigori","title":"Yukiotoko Junmaishu Nigori","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eA cloudy Junmai Nigori from Aoki Shuzo with soft rice sweetness, gentle creaminess and a lightly textured mouthfeel. The fine sake lees give it roundness and body, while the Yukiotoko style keeps the finish clean and refreshing. Smooth, mellow and easy to enjoy, with a pleasant balance of richness and freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aoki Shuzo","offers":[{"title":"720ml","offer_id":56758096494918,"sku":"004044","price":38.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/0579\/4904\/files\/Aokishuzo_yukiotokojunmainigori.webp?v=1775655096"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0276\/0579\/4904\/collections\/kura.jpg?v=1581266354","url":"https:\/\/otemba-sake.com\/collections\/aoki-shuzo\/room-temperature.oembed","provider":"Otemba Sake","version":"1.0","type":"link"}