Kamoshibito Kuheiji Sake Guide: Taste, Rice Vintage and Terroir

Most sake stories begin with a brewery tank. Kamoshibito Kuheiji (醸し人九平次) begins in a rice field. Banjo Jozo in Nagoya makes it. By the brewery’s own description, the sake shows fragrant fruit, firm acidity and a lightly bitter finish. Its larger story, though, concerns where the rice grows and when it was harvested. In fact, that story stretches from paddies in Hyogo and Okayama to a small winery in Burgundy. According to the brewery, it started with questions French chefs and sommeliers kept asking: what rice do you use, and do you grow it yourself? Over time, the answer changed how the company works. TOCWhat Is Kamoshibito Kuheiji? Kamoshibito Kuheiji is a sake brand from Banjo Jozo in Nagoya, a major city in central Japan. Its range centers on junmai ginjo and junmai daiginjo. It is best known for growing some of its own Yamada Nishiki and Omachi rice. It also labels products by rice harvest year and applies ideas from wine, especially vintage and terroir, to the way it explains sake. 酒Kamoshibito Kuheiji at a Glance Japanese name醸し人九平次 (kah-moh-shee-bee-toh koo-hay-jee) BreweryBanjo Jozo Co., Ltd. (萬乗醸造), Odaka, Midori Ward, Nagoya Sake making since1647, according to the compa...