W (pronounced Double-U) is a limited-edition series from Watanabe Shuzoten, a brewery founded in 1870 in the historic Hida-Furukawa district of Gifu Prefecture, best known for its main brand Hourai. Each release in the W lineup uses a different sake rice variety processed to the same polishing level, deliberately labeled only as junmai rather than daiginjo to signal that the rice, not the number, tells the story. Available exclusively through a curated network of specialty retailers, the series sources from farmers committed to low-pesticide growing methods.
