Kimori Namachozo Honjozo 300mL

Kimori Namachozo Honjozo is made by Nagano Kikusui Brewery using Takane-Nishiki, a premium rice varietal native to Nagano Prefecture. This bottling is classified as both honjozo — meaning a small addition of distilled alcohol near the end of fermentation — and namachozo, a sake that skips the first of two traditional pasteurization steps and is pasteurized only once before bottling. That single-pasteurization approach retains more of the fresh, lively character typically found in unpasteurized nama sake, but with improved stability and a rounder texture that makes it versatile at the table. Nagano Kikusui Brewery sources its water and rice from the mountainous Nagano region, known for cold winters and clean snowmelt that favor delicate fermentation. The honjozo style is lighter and drier than junmai by design — the alcohol addition lifts aromatics and sharpens the finish — while the namachozo method preserves brightness without the raw volatility of fully unpasteurized sake. Takane-Nishiki is a local cultivar prized for producing sake with a clean entry and persistent umami, and the brewery ferments it in a way that balances both qualities without leaning too rich or too austere. The flavor is crisp on the front palate, opening with melon and steamed rice, then building into a deeper umami mid-palate that carries the sake through savory pairings. Serve it cold alongside grilled fish, miso-glazed vegetables, oysters, or anything with high salinity — the single pasteurization keeps the acidity high enough to cut through fat and brine. It also works well with cheese boards and cured meats, where honjozo's lighter body and lifted aromatics stand up to richness without overwhelming texture. This is the kind of sake you open on a weeknight and finish by the second course. Kimori Namachozo Honjozo 300mL is available for pickup at Off Premise Chicago, 1128 W Armitage Ave in Lincoln Park, with local delivery across Chicago and nationwide shipping.