Shall we take this outside? No, we’re not picking a fight with you. This highly anticipated limited-edition sake has been created to be enjoyed in the great outdoors. Only a few hundred bottles of Kubota Seppou White (aka Soujo Kubota Seppou) were set aside for the UK, and we’ve managed to secure 36 of them. Demand will be high, so fisticuffs may become necessary if you wish to secure one… This rare sake is a collaboration between two Niigata-based brands; the iconic Asahi Brewery and Snow Peak, a world-renowned outdoor specialist who promotes a nature-oriented lifestyle. Niigata is a mountainous prefecture in Japan, full of rivers and valleys, and home to Mount Tanigawa. So, the locals need a sake that can be enjoyed in the wild, paired with foraged foods, picnics, barbeques and sushi and sashimi eaten on the go. Together, these two brands release two expressions of this sake each year. Kubota Seppou Black comes out as the autumn approaches, and Kubota Seppou White is brewed and stored during the cold temperatures of mid-winter and is released to celebrate the arrival of spring and the warm summer ahead. For the sake geeks out there, blending the White and the Black together would theoretically result in you making Kubota’s flagship creation, the iconic Manjyu. But getting back to Kubota Seppou White, its style and seasonal release make it an excellent choice for hot days, long evenings and picnics. It displays gentle sweetness and acidity, and it seems to buzz like a wildflower meadow with energetic notes of Moscato d’Asti, cantaloupe melon, apple blossom, lychee, citrus, rosewater and a babbling stream. Wonderfully clean, with just a hint of mellow rice flavour on the finish. Everything is perfectly in harmony, like nature itself. Kubota Seppou White is crafted entirely using locally grown Niigata rice. To start the process, the koji is combined with Gohyakumangoku rice (a variety famed for its clean taste and refreshing taste), which is polished to a ratio of 50%, meaning that half of each rice grain has been carefully whittled away. The mash for Kubota Seppou White is even more highly polished than for the starter, achieving a polishing ratio of 33%, i.e. 67% of the rice grains are gently rubbed away. The designation Junmai Daiginjo lets you know that this is the finest sake made with the most highly polished rice. And all that’s before you even get to that stunning white bottle, which is so rock ‘n’ roll that it reminds us of another classic, The Beatles’ ninth studio album, better known as the White Album. Considering the ethos behind Kubota Seppou White, it should probably be enjoyed while listening to the song ‘Dear Prudence’. “Won’t you come out to play?”
£16.6 per 100.00ml
