Modern Muku
Senkin Modern Muku is the brewery's flagship brand, brewed 100% with local Sakura city Yamada Nishiki rice. Part of their "modern" series (meaning that it was brewed with modern methods), the brewery touts this as their daily drinking sake - one that fits in your class as comfortably as wearing a clean white shirt. Muku, meaning pure or innocent, refers to a lack of excessive embellishment in the sake. It has a sharp, vibrantly fruity flavor with a well-balanced umami heft, and the brewery encourages drinkers to try enjoying their sake out of Bourdeaux wine glasses to maximize the sensory potential of the brew.
Junmai Daiginjo
300ml bottle
About the producer
Senkin
Senkin's sakes have an electricity to them - a zesty, energetic quality that shines like a beacon amidst the sea of homogenous sake imported to the US. This tracks given the story behind the brewery. Nestled in the residential backroads of Sakura City in Tochigi, Senkin is run by brothers Kazuki and Masato, the 11th generation of the Usui family to own the brewery. Their approach was born out of Kazuki-san’s love of wine. Growing up, he thought sake was boring and something that only old people drank. He gravitated towards the bolder flavors in wine, particularly the high acidity and versatility in pairing with food. When he took over Senkin, he did away with all of their old methods and even their back stock of sake and began fresh. The brothers’ brewing motto is “Yokei na koto shinai,” or “do nothing unnecessary.” All of their sakes are brewed in small batches and are Muroka (unfiltered) and Genshu (undiluted), as well as bottle-aged in near freezing temperatures. Senkin uses the same water for brewing as that which grows their rice, and they will only use contract-farmed Omachi, Yamada Nishiki, or Kame no O rice grown within 5 minutes of the brewery.