Takeno Kamenoo Kurabu Sake

Volume: 0.72 litres | Alcohol content: 14% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Kamenoo Kurabu centres on an old, locally grown rice variety. Takeno uses Kamenoo rice with a polishing ratio of 60%. This cuvée combines fruity impressions with mild bitterness and is offered at 14% alcohol in a 0.72-litre bottle.

Alongside cherry and plum notes, this sake also reveals pear and floral hints of honeysuckle and jasmine. Served between 6 and 12 °C, it pairs well with dishes such as gravlax, puff pastry with goat’s cheese and spinach, or cherry clafoutis.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, fresh cherries and sour cherries combine with a soft, almost creamy fruit note. Redcurrants add a subtle accent.
• Palate: On the palate, gentle milky notes meet ripe plums and a light bitterness. Subtle herbal notes recall lemon balm.
• Finish: A restrained bitterness reminiscent of plum skin lingers on the finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

Takeno Shuzo is based in Kyotango, in northern Kyoto Prefecture. The present brewery was established in 1947 through the merger of four sake breweries that had been forced to cease operations during the Second World War. It works with local rice farmers and adapts its brewing methods to the characteristics of each rice variety.

The rediscovery of Kamenoo rice is one of the brewery’s defining projects. In 2000, local historian Yukio Ashida brought the almost forgotten variety to Yoshihei Yukimachi. In 2007, Yukimachi arranged for rice farmer Kunio Yoshioka to grow it again. A sake brewed from this rice, named Kuramai Kame-No-O, won first prize in the Junmai category of the national sake competition in 2010. Today, master brewer Yoshiki Yukimachi is developing Evolving Kamenoo, his own variant of this rice variety, used mainly for the brewery’s prestigious cuvées.

Facts: