Kenshin Junmai Ginjo Gohyakumangoku

Named for the legendary warlord Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo, who famously sent salt to his rival Takeda Shingen in a celebrated act of chivalry, this sake from Ikedaya Shuzo, founded in 1812 in Itoigawa, carries that spirit of principled character into its rice. Gohyakumangoku, the variety whose name celebrates Niigata reaching five million koku of rice production, is the foundation: polished to reveal a clean, elegant aroma of ripe fruit, a gentle sweetness and light richness on the palate, and a refreshingly dry finish typical of small-batch, handmade Niigata sake built entirely for the table.