Private Lab Nirugame Spark
⏳ Drinking Window
Best enjoyed fresh, typically within 1 to 2 years of the bottling date to experience its vibrant effervescence and bright fruit profile.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh sashimi, lightly battered vegetable tempura, mild creamy cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
Part of Aramasa's avant-garde 'Private Lab' series, Nirugame (often spelled Nirgame) represents a playful yet deeply scholarly exploration of sake's historical roots. Crafted by the visionary Yusuke Sato in Akita Prefecture, this sparkling sake is named after a mythical turtle-like creature depicted on its whimsical label. It is brewed using the brewery's legendary, house-isolated Kyokai No. 6 yeast and the labor-intensive, traditional Kimoto starter method. The effervescence is entirely natural, achieved through active secondary fermentation in the bottle, reminiscent of the ancestral method in winemaking. The result is a lightly cloudy, low-alcohol sparkling sake that balances a soft, creamy texture with the vibrant, citrus-like lactic acidity and pristine minerality that defines the modern Aramasa style.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1852 in Akita Prefecture, Japan, Aramasa Shuzo is one of the sake world's most revolutionary and revered historic breweries. Under the avant-garde leadership of eighth-generation owner Yusuke Sato, the kura strictly champions traditional, natural brewing methodologies, utilizing only native Akita rice cultivars, wooden fermentation vats (kioke), and the time-honored kimoto method without additives. Aramasa is famously the historic birthplace of Kyokai Yeast No. 6, isolated here in 1930, which the brewery now uses exclusively across its entire production. Renowned for vibrant acidity, exceptional clarity, and wine-like complexity, Aramasa produces iconic cult expressions including the unpasteurized No. 6 series, the terroir-focused Colors collection, and the rare, boundary-pushing Private Lab series featuring labels like Invisible Pink Unicorn.
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
8%