Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. in Niigata Prefecture, brewer of the celebrated Kubota line, produces Gantan Shibori as an annual New Year's limited release pressed at midnight on January 1 and shipped immediately as a fresh namazake. First released in 1986, the sake was conceived as a product to rally the brewing team at the start of each year, with each bottle bearing a label depicting that year's zodiac animal and a ceremonial ema charm blessed at Asahi Shrine in Nagaoka. The pressed-and-bottled-same-day production captures a vivid, immediate freshness found only in this seasonal offering.
