Taishonotsuru Hizoshu Binteji

Okayama-grown Akebono rice milled to 70% forms the base of this aged reserve (hizoshu), which is bottled at 20% alcohol after extended cellaring. The 1996 vintage shows a pale amber hue with layered aged aromas and a sharp finish; the brewery, founded in 1893, uses karst limestone-filtered mineral water and has centered its craft on Asahi-variety rice since the 1990s.