Colors Viridian Direct Path
⏳ Drinking Window
Best enjoyed fresh within 1 to 2 years of the bottling date to appreciate its natural effervescence, though it can gracefully evolve for up to 3 to 5 years when kept under pristine, cold cellar conditions.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh oysters, grilled sea bass, goat cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
The 'Colors' series by the visionary Aramasa Shuzo is an artistic exploration of Akita's local heritage, with 'Viridian' serving as the proud showcase for Misato Nishiki, a rare and demanding sake rice variety. The 'Direct Path' (Chokko) designation indicates that this sake was bottled immediately as it flowed from the press, capturing the natural, delicate effervescence of fermentation. Brewed using the legendary Kyokai No. 6 yeast—which originated at Aramasa in 1930—and crafted via the ancient Kimoto method in traditional wooden casks (kioke), this expression represents a bridge between deep ancestral wisdom and modern avant-garde precision. The result is a sake of breathtaking purity, defined by a vibrant, wine-like acidity, mineral tension, and a subtle, lively spritz that dances on the palate.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1852 by Uhei Sato in Akita Prefecture, Aramasa Shuzo stands as one of Japan's most revolutionary and revered artisanal producers. The brewery earned historic distinction in 1930 when its in-house culture was isolated as Kyokai No. 6, the oldest surviving yeast strain in active distribution. Under eighth-generation kuramoto Yusuke Sato, who took over in the late 2000s, Aramasa embarked on an uncompromising renaissance. Sato committed strictly to pure Junmai brewing, utilizing exclusively local Akita-grown rice cultivated without chemical pesticides, including over 30 hectares farmed in the Uyashinai district. Reviving traditional Edo-period techniques, all fermentations rely purely on indigenous lactic bacteria via the kimoto method and take place entirely in wooden cedar vats (kioke). Fermented using only pristine soft local mountain water and Kyokai No. 6, Aramasa's sakes—such as the iconic unpasteurized No. 6 series, the terroir-driven Colors collection, and the experimental Private Lab bottlings like Amaneko—are globally benchmarked for their electrifying acidity, pristine structural tension, and vinous elegance.
🍇 Grapes
Misato Nishiki rice
🍷 ABV
13%