Hinoshita Musou Junmai No. 8 日下無雙 純米酒 紅蠍 八號酵母 (1x72cl)

日下無雙 純米酒 紅蠍 八號酵母, brewed in Yamaguchi with No. 8 yeast. Junmai grade means rice, water, koji and yeast only — no distilled alcohol goes in, so nothing sits between you and the rice.

Yeast is one of the few things a brewer can change while keeping everything else the same, and different strains generally push the aromatics in different directions. That is the fun of having a No. 7 and a No. 8 on the same table: same house, one variable, and you get to argue about which one you prefer. Good conversation piece at a dinner.

Tasting notes

Junmai typically leans savoury and rice-forward rather than fruity-perfumed, and it is usually happy across a range of temperatures. Start cool, around 10°C, with grilled fish or something salty, and try a small cup gently warmed later to see how it shifts.