Aramasa Shuzo, Akita
Reviewed in H1 2025

A white snake lurking in the Akita cedar forest
TOCKY's report
Numata's report
Nomin Geijutsu Gairon 2019
92
Close · 4 of 5 axes match
Hakurakusei Ultimate Junmai Daiginjo
88
Close · 4 of 5 axes match
Ubusuna Homasu
87
Close · all 5 axes match
Tenbi Akaiwa Omachi
87
Close · 4 of 5 axes match
Among the closest shapes (at most one axis off by one step), ordered by score. Re-reviews of the same sake are excluded and each brewery appears once. Where fewer than four qualify, the next closest shapes fill the gap.
The New Year's Junmai Shiboritate, commonly known as the "Eto Bottle," is back in a new form. The label design is now a collaboration with a well-known artist, echoing the 10th-anniversary sake. The flavor is more of a forest than ever before. A dense sweetness and acidity give way to a plump umami, and a long finish follows. A firm bitterness from the kioke (wooden vat) underpins the whole thing, finishing into a dignified, elegant flavor draped in solemnity.