The premium Gold Line is led by technique, answered by nature, utilizing pesticide-free local rice, yielding an extraordinarily vibrant, multi-layered profile with an ultra-soft, refined texture. The late-Edo period Zen monk Sengai Gibon depicted the circle, triangle, and square, expressing that “all phenomena return to the One”—the essence of Zen. Inspired by these words, Gold-Tamaki expresses three distinct flavors from a single tank, bottled from three sections: the upper, middle, and lower.
The sake opens with an evocative nose of freshly steamed rice. The palate is remarkably full and seamlessly woven, balancing rich rice umami with an unctuous, stunningly elegant texture. Holding with extraordinary depth through the mid-palate, it glides into an endless, pristine finish.
Brewery
Founded 1665; re-established in Matsukawa as Ilaka Sake Atelier in 2024
Location
Matsukawa, Nagano Prefecture
Toji
Katsumi Tanaka
Style
Genshu
Water Source
Incredibly soft (7mg/L) mountain snowmelt filtered through granitic soils, forming an underground river
Koji Type
White & yellow
Rice
Organic Kinmonnishiki (Matsukawa village-grown)
Shubo
Sokujo-moto
Yeast
Nagano D and P33-37
Pressing
Yabuta
Filtration
Muroka (no charcoal)
Pasteurization
Binkan hi-ire (Nama Chozo)—exacting and brief time at temperature depending on the rice and fermentation
ABV
15%
Pack Size
12x720mL