Tasting Notes

Once upon a time in the deep forest of Musashi, there was Tengu demon who loved to drink. "In the back of the forest, white and thick sake was made, and it was so beautiful that Tengu jumped up and down." People called the sake "Tengu no Doburoku."

Doburoku is a full-bodied, truly unfiltered sake that retains the full character of the rice. Is it brewed farmer-style: in one batch, truly unfiltered, and in the case of Tengu no Doburoku is blended to achieve a uniform texture. The aroma initially is savory and rounded, with notes of earth, malted rice and shoyu. The flavor opens up with notes of honeysuckle, lily, sweet potato, roasted chestnut, a wisp of mochi and marshmallow sweetness. The finish is lightly tart and earthy, so the overall effect is more refreshing than heavy.

Creamy, soft, round, fluffy, and chewy it drinks like a meal in the glass with lots of ancient Shinto goodness. Look for crème brulée, flan, rum raisin, rice pudding, honey, sugar apples, candy grapes, and a hint of rich coconut, on a flow that is viscous but not heavy. This is high end Doburoku at it’s best. 

Brewery Description

The founder Matabee Koyamaya mastered sake brewing techniques in Nada and Fushimi, discovered good-quality water springs in Shimogo, Sashiougi Village, Kita-adachi-gun, Musashi Province (present: Sashiougi, Nishi-ku, Saitama-shi) in 1808, and started brewing sake.

Since the start of the business, Koyama Honke Syuzo has treasured the established sake brewing technology, met various needs of customers under the motto of “Quality First,” and made efforts to offer reliable, safe, delicious sake at reasonable prices.

The largest sake brewery in eastern Japan, which fused traditional techniques and the cutting-edge technology - Koyama Honke Syuzo provides high-quality sake stably, by automating the sake production process utilizing the good points of manual production, condu cting thoroughgoing centralization, and managing production while incorporating the latest technology, based on the inherited techniques of chief sake makers.

In its premises whose area is about 10,000 tsubo (33,000 m2), there are over 170 storage tanks and buildings with state-of-the-art bottling and blending lines. It boasts a top-class production capacity in this field.

Extra Notes: Doburoku

Doburoku, the mother of all sake, has been around as long as the history of rice growing. Also known as the Japanese moonshine, this rustic “Nigori” sake was once made in every rice growing village. It was outlawed in 1899 to “protect” the sake industry. Since the government could not tax households for brewing Doburoku at home, it certainly had an ulterior motive. As with many regulations, there was a loophole. As the spiritual drink of Japan, special licenses were granted to Shinto Shrines to continue brewing for use in religious ceremonies. 

Now the pendulum has swung and in recent times, government is granting special brewing licenses to people interested in preserving the ancient technique of brewing Doburoku. The younger generation has jumped on the bandwagon and launched craft breweries to showcase their creative Doburoku talents. Also rising in popularity are sake made with additives like hops, tomatoes, agave and other ingredients that do not qualify as “seishu” or Japanese sake that are categorized under Doburoku for government purposes. Now there are hip Doburoku Bars popping up in stylish neighborhoods in Tokyo and other big cities where such creative beverages are showcased. What is the difference between Doburoku and Nigori? Doburoku is the full flavored and rustic cousin of Nigori. Doburoku does not go through any pressing resulting in more sake lees and a richer, more savory flavor profile than Nigori and often lower in alcohol. 

Additional Information

Classification: Doburoku (Nigori)

Prefecture: Saitama

Sake Meter Value: 0

ABV: 14%

Size: 720ml