積善 純米酒 向日葵花酵母 720ml 箱無

これは日本酒好きの方にぜひ味わっていただきたい！

長野県内で唯一、「花酵母」を使用することのできる西飯田酒造店。
この酒蔵の醸す酒は、日本酒の味わい五要素である甘味、辛味、酸味、苦味、渋み（弊社の酒類担当者が勝手に言ってます）のバランスが非常に整っている日本酒を醸し出します。
こちらの【積善 純米酒 向日葵花酵母】は、昨今多い『華やかすぎるフルーティー』な香りが目立つものではなく、しっぽり落ち着いて飲みたい日本酒です。

日本酒度+5ということからバリバリの辛口かと思いますが、本醸造と違い純米酒なので口当たりは柔らかめ。
しかし酸度が1.6という数値が示す通り、酒自体にコクがあり旨味が厚い飲み心地です。

器に注ぐと、酒米の旨みがしっかり含まれていることがわかる淡い黄金色。
そして口腔に含むとどっしりとした存在感があるのに、そこは酸の出し方が抜群に上手い西飯田酒造店。
滑らかに喉元を流れ、旨味が鼻腔から脳天に抜けてゆきます。

冷やでも楽しめますが、ちょっとお燗につけて鍋物や煮込みなど、濃いめのお料理との相性が抜群です。

ー 日本酒の色について ー

ここで『日本酒は黄色いと古いんじゃないの？』という質問に弊社の酒類担当者が偏見と思い込みでお答えします。

まず無色透明の日本酒は、醸す過程で【炭素濾過】という炭で雑味などを取り除く作業があります。
そうしてスッキリとした口当たり（透明）になります。（だいぶ荒っぽい言い方ですが…）
ただ、何でもかんでも濾過すればいいかといえばそうでもなく、また濾過の具合によってもだいぶ酒質が変わります。
＊最近では無濾過や素濾過といって、色をそのままにして旨みを残す日本酒も増えています。

そして日本酒が黄色い正体ですが、
【メラード反応】という日本酒に含まれるアミノ酸と糖分が時間をかけて結合した結果によるものです。

ということは！
黄金色や琥珀色の日本酒は旨みが増しているということなんです。
ただし！
本当に保存状態が悪く劣化している場合もあります。

見極め方法は簡単で、器に酒を注ぎ香りがナッツやチーズ、香ばしい甘味を感じれば全く問題ありません。
劣化している場合は発酵が進んだ甘味の一切ないプレーンヨーグルトのような酸味を香りから感じます。
もっともお店で売られているものに、そんなものは殆ど無いですので安心して街の酒屋さんでお求めくださいね。

甘辛の目安
甘１・２・３・４・⑤辛
（○印の位置です）

酒米：ひとごこち
精米歩合：59%
酵母：向日葵
日本酒度：+5
酸度：1.6
アミノ酸度：非公開
アルコール度：15.0％
おすすめの飲み方：◎冷◎常温◯お燗

Sekizen Junmai — Sunflower Blossom Yeast

For Those Who Love Sake for What Sake Truly Is
This is one we especially recommend to serious sake lovers.

Nishiida Shuzoten is the only brewery in Nagano Prefecture able to brew sake using its distinctive flower-derived yeasts.
One of the remarkable qualities of its sake is balance.
Sweetness, dryness, acidity, bitterness and astringency—the five elements that, according to our sake buyer’s entirely unofficial theory, shape the character of great sake—come together with remarkable harmony in the bottles brewed here.
And Sekizen Junmai — Sunflower Blossom Yeast is a wonderful example.

This is not one of those modern sake dominated by extravagant, intensely fruity aromas.
Quite the opposite.

This is sake for a quiet evening.

With an SMV of +5, you might expect an aggressively dry sake. Yet as a Junmai, it enters the palate with a surprisingly gentle, rounded texture.
Its acidity of 1.6 provides structure and depth, supporting a generous core of savory rice umami.
Pour it into a cup and its pale golden hue already hints at the character within.

On the palate, it has weight and presence—but Nishiida Shuzoten has a remarkable way with acidity. Rather than becoming heavy, the sake flows smoothly toward the finish, while its rich umami rises gently through the retronasal aroma and seems to linger long after the sip has gone.
It is delicious served cool, but try warming it gently.
With hot pot, stews, braised dishes or other richly flavored foods, this sake truly comes into its own.
Quiet in aroma. Deep in flavor. Beautifully balanced.

Why Is Some Sake Golden?

Now for a question we sometimes hear:

“If sake is yellow, doesn’t that mean it’s old?”

Our sake buyer will answer—with a healthy dose of personal opinion and absolutely no claim to being a scientist.
Not necessarily.
Many crystal-clear sake undergo activated-carbon filtration, a process that can remove color as well as certain aroma and flavor components, helping create a cleaner and more polished profile.
But more filtration is not automatically better.

The degree and style of filtration can significantly influence the final character of a sake. Today, it is also common to find muroka (unfiltered) or lightly filtered sake designed to retain more of their natural color and flavor.
So where does that golden color come from?

One factor is the Maillard reaction—a complex series of reactions involving amino acids and sugars that can occur gradually over time and contribute to changes in color, aroma and flavor.
That means a pale gold or amber hue is not automatically a flaw.

In the right sake, it can accompany greater maturation and complexity, with savory depth and aromas that may suggest nuts, caramelized notes, or even cheese.
Of course, sake can also deteriorate when stored improperly, so color alone should never be treated as proof of quality or condition.

A sake that has matured well can offer wonderfully complex aromas and flavors. A poorly stored bottle, on the other hand, may show unpleasantly sharp, stale or otherwise unbalanced characteristics.
Fortunately, properly handled bottles from a reputable retailer are another story entirely.
So the next time you see a sake with a beautiful golden hue, don’t immediately think:“Old sake.”

Instead, pour it into a glass.
Take in the aroma.
And perhaps ask yourself:

“What has this sake chosen to keep?”

Sweetness/Dryness Indicator

Sweet １・２・３・４・⑤ Dry (The circled number indicates the level of sweetness or dryness)