Hōken Shuzō
Hōken Junmai Retro Label
Alcoholic
Beverages
Hōken Junmai Retro Label is a sake made by Hōken Shuzō in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is based on sake brewed from Hattan Nishiki rice, blended with the seme—the final portions collected during pressing—of the brewery’s junmai ginjō and junmai daiginjō sake. This blend gives the release added depth.
Its listed ingredients are rice and rice kōji. The rice is polished so that 60% of each grain remains, and the sake has an alcohol content of 16%. It has a distinct rice flavor and gentle sweetness, followed by a clean, dry finish. Serve it with a meal, particularly fish, grilled dishes, or savory appetizers.
Producer
Hōken Shuzō is a sake brewery founded in 1871 in Nigata, a district of Kure in Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture. The name of its sake, Hōken (“treasured sword”), recalls the craftspeople who once made swords and files in the area.
Water springs up within the brewery after being naturally filtered through the Mount Noro area. Master brewer Tetsuya Doi uses it to make sake in small batches, relying especially on Hattan Nishiki rice grown in Hiroshima. His aim is a clean, dry sake that complements a meal without overpowering its flavors.