The “Beau Zone Layer” – Niwa No Uguisu 50
Fukuoka Prefecture
Junmai Daiginjo
SMV: +2 Acidity: 1.5
Don’t let the name fool you! This is another one of those family names that is a prefecture name as well. Say hello to Niwa No Uguisu from the Yamaguchi family brewery in Fukuoka Prefecture. Ha! The reason why I picked this brew for you, other than the name, is that it is a classic “water” sake. Huh? It’s a brew where you can actually taste the water, and in this case the brewery refers to their water as “Amouzo” which means sweet water. Their water is also in the Top 100 Quality Meisui in the Kyushu region of Japan. In fact the region is so famous for the abundance of water that there are 80 Sake breweries alongside the Chikugo river. What does that mean in regards to this particular sake? Considering that the final product of sake is 80% water then water plays a big part, but in the majority of sakes you cannot distinguish a water flavor like you can with this brew. It’s fascinating to peel the sip apart and really seek out the water amongst the alcohol and other flavors. As you do just think of “sweet water.”