This is the second release from the new limited brand KINO which was developed by Gensaka in 2021 based on the concept “return to farming” which is the literal translation of the Japanese Kanji characters for KINO 帰農. Their belief is that ultimately most industries including sake brewing has its origins in agricultural practice, so they developed this limited edition to support the continuity of rice farming in their region and particularly the cultivation of Ise Nishiki, a rice of local origin that was previously thought to be extinct. Above all Gensaka wanted KINO to be evocative of its rural origin, and to acknowledge that sake would not have been born without rice cultivation.
The sake rice Ise Nishiki which is thought by some in Mie to be one of the roots of Yamada Nishiki is a heritage grain with no cross breeding that was revived by Gensaka in 1989 after it disappeared from use after the 1940’s due to difficulties growing the tall rice plants and harvesting it. A group of local Mie sake breweries are intent on preserving the genes of Ise Nishiki by supporting its cultivation locally as it carries the history of their region.
KINO 2 was made with Kimoto traditional starter technique to enable the brewers to connect more completely with the rice while making the sake. The bottle label intentionally has very little information to ensure that customers focus on the fluid contained within and the story of rice farming depicted by the design. The sake has rounded mouth feel of savoury rice umami which is balanced by a dashi-like salinity and pleasant bitterness which works well with food, particularly deeply flavoured meaty dishes. This sake has a calm, cleansing finish which makes the next glass very appealing.
- Brewery: GENSAKA SAKE BREWERY
-
Classification Junmai
- %ALC/VOL 16%
- Net Volume: 720ml
- Rice: Ise Nishiki grown in Mie Prefecture
- Rice Polishing Ratio: Undisclosed
- SMV: Undisclosed
- Serve: Cold | Room Temp | Warm – experiment with serving temperature as it has a lot of flexibility
- Matching Food: Ginger Pork, Roast Lamb, Grilled Chicken, Beef, Chocolate