The Beau-Zone Layer

Kenbishi “Kuromatsu” “Black Pine”
From Hyogo Prefecture. Honjozo. +/- .05 Acidity: 1.5

Okay! So I just went to this super secretive brewery in Kobe in May. (Read about my experience in the True Sake Newsletter – you do read the newsletter right?) So I now have a brand new “true respect” for Kenbishi! Talk about a wow moment! This brewery is as old schools as old school gets. They use all of their own raw materials and they make sake the way they've been making it for hundreds of years. Oh and the brewery is over 500 years old. It just symbolizes so much and you should try this hallmark sake at some point in your sake career. Look for rich and velvety tones that are fantastic for room temperature and warming opportunities. It is like liquid richness personified and the super well balanced full body nature is amazing for food pairings! Try blue cheese. Try mackerel (saba). Try old stinky cheese. Try prosciutto. They all work, because we tasted these flavors at the brewery while tasting their sake. Oh and lastly! See that cool logo? It’s actually a sword tip pointed at you and a shield, and it has been around since the Samurai used to drink Kenbishi!