Photo/Illutration Bottles of 50-year-old Kansha Daruma Masamune Vintage Koshu sake are unveiled at the Gifu Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Gifu on May 19. (Yoshinobu Itakura)

GIFU--A brewery here with close to a 200-year history has just released its first sake aged for 50 years, a project started by the sixth-generation owner.

Kansha Daruma Masamune Vintage Koshu was originally produced in 1971 when Shiraki Tsunesuke Co., founded in 1835 in the city's Kadoyakado district, started aging sake at the initiative of Yoshiji Shiraki, now aged 83.

At the time, many small-scale breweries produced “ginjo" premium grade sake to stay in business. But the previous owner was adamant about producing the type of sake he loved, which had a sweet and rich flavor.

So he decided to take a shot at aging sake, a tradition practiced between the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) and the Edo Period (1603-1867).

Using home-grown Nipponbare rice and other ingredients, the company brewed sake specifically for aging in a tank for 10 years or so. The rice wine was then stored in 1.8-liter bottles for further maturation.

Although purists contend that sake should be colorless, his aged brew has a light gold color that gradually won fans among customers.

Previously, Shiraki Tsunesuke sold 20-year-old sake prepared in or after 1975, which was well received and served to first class passengers by Japan Airlines Co.

The 50-year-old sake is of ginjo grade made in 1971 from sake rice called Gohyakumangoku. It has a soft but distinctive taste, coupled with a rather sweet and mellow flavor along with a low amino acid content.

A 50-milliliter bottle is priced at 6,600 yen ($60), including tax, while a 200-ml bottle goes for 38,500 yen and a 500-ml bottle sells for 77,000 yen.

"At first, we had no expertise in aging sake, so we made many types and stored them to see how they would change in three, five and seven years. We spent more than 10 years to come up with our own handbook," Yoshiji said.

The brewery also sells its products to overseas customers, and 60 percent of its sales are from aged sake.

But the company's overall sales have fallen due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"We hope local residents enjoy (the aged sake), and we will do our best to make 100-year-old sake," said Shigeri Shiraki, 53, the seventh-generation owner who serves as representative director.

Kansha Daruma Masamune Vintage Koshu is available at the brewery's outlet shop and online store at (https://www.daruma-masamune.co.jp/).

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