A deep and alluring amber Gengai entices with a pleasing acidity, a persistent yet mellow sweetness, and a perfect balance of sweet, umami, tart, and bitter. Mature and mellow, sharp and clear, Gengai can only be described as a multidimensional miracle of nature.
AROMA
Gengai presents a robust aroma of caramel sweetness and chocolate with a mature depth. Swirling the glass brings out the punch of lactic acid with honeyed umami notes.
MOUTHFEEL
The robust aroma of Gengai is juxtaposed with a smooth and luxurious mouthfeel that envelops like silk.
FINISH
The finish is long, profound, and rich - a befitting conclusion to Gengai’s long journey. On the final note it rewards with a pleasing acidity and rapturous balance.
PAIRING
Gengai pairs perfectly with the umami of choice meats and the freshest fish. The complex, mature aroma also makes Gengai an excellent complement to grilled meats, pate, and other rich dishes.
The Nature of Time
When aged under appropriate conditions, sake undergoes chemical reactions that imbue deeper, more complex flavors and color. With a long gestation, a vintage can also develop surprising clarity. These changes cannot be induced purposefully and the exact outcome of the aging process is something only time and nature decide.
In 1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake nearly leveled Kobe, devastating the brewery and leaving only a few tanks of shubo remaining. Shubo, which means ‘the mother of sake’, is an essential element in the brewing process. Not fit for sale because it had not finished fermenting, the brewer decided to store the batch and hoped time would salvage it. Twenty years later, the batch was rediscovered and found to have undergone a fantastical and miraculous transformation. A bittersweet reminder that from unthinkable disaster, greatness can be born.
SAWANOTSURU BREWERY
"ONCE IN A LIFETIME"
THE SAKE
Gengai, a limited edition, vintage sake is the silver lining of the earthquake that devastated Kobe in 1995. Discovered after aging for twenty years, this is a remarkably smooth and luxurious sake perfectly balanced with sweet, tart, bitter, and umami notes that culminate in a long, profoundly rich finish. There are only a limited number of bottles of Gengai available and once they are gone there won’t be another.
THE HISTORY
The Sawanotsuru Brewery was founded in 1717 as a purveyor of rice in Nadagogo, Hyogo Prefecture, one of the three major brewing regions of Japan. They started brewing sake as a small side business but eventually became renowned for their singular focus on bringing out the best in sake rice to produce connoisseur-quality sake.
