Private Lab Nirugame
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 1–3 years of release to appreciate its vibrant acidity and fresh, complex profile.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted pork belly, grilled mackerel, aged hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
Part of Aramasa's avant-garde 'Private Lab' series, 'Nirugame' (meaning 'Nirvana Turtle') is a revolutionary sake that challenges the modern convention of highly polished rice. While premium sake often polishes away the outer layers of the rice grain, Nirugame is intentionally polished to just 90%, leaving the vast majority of the grain intact. This ancient-style approach, combined with Aramasa's signature Kimoto starter method, fermentation in traditional cedar wooden casks (kioke), and the legendary Kyokai No. 6 yeast, yields a sake of extraordinary complexity. It boasts a striking, cider-like acidity, deep umami, and a textured, rustic profile that pays homage to historical brewing techniques while remaining thoroughly modern.
🍾 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)
13%