A vista of stars in the winter night sky as she crossed the foothills on her way to night brewing work inspired master brewer Nobuko Inaba to call this sake Stella. Images of the glistening intensity but cold purity filling her imagination. The washi paper label depicting the southern slopes of Mount Tsukuba and the myriad of stars over her hometown.

As the sixth generation of her family and now in her twentieth year of sake brewing, she carries forward the passion of generations past without regret. The small production, limited edition Stella Junmai Daiginjo a window into her world.

Silky smooth, refined with superb balance; textures shared by both sake and cup, sensed on the lip and tongue. The edge of this celadon ware a taut precipice from which enticing aromas of white flowers and lush blueberry spill as you raise this vessel to sip. Experience the harmony of sake handcrafted from highly polished grains of rice which merge with the delicate turquoise velvet of this ceramic.

A sake that speaks to the duality of life. It appears clear in the bottle yet a rich, creamy rice lees remains within. Invert to mix the bottle before opening then watch the cloudy white sake as it swirls into the dark depths of the guinomi. The cloudiness or nigori defining and yet obscuring the limits of the sake cup.

Two images, one smiling, one frowning; gaze at us from the bottle’s label inspired by the woodblock and sumi ink prints of Shodo Iwagaki, a Soto-Zen Buddhist monk of the Mairai-ji temple near the brewery in Okayama Prefecture. These contrasting images are perhaps a clue to the delicious sweet and sour flavours that characterise this sake.

Maiko Tsuji, 7th generation of the brewing family and current Master Brewer works alongside her brother and small team, crafting their Gozenshu brand sake using an ancient starter technique known as Bodaimoto. Her focus is on striving to make the best sake without compromise, acknowledging their tradition but creating a smooth path into the modern world.

Ohmine 3grain Junmai