米宗 (Komeso) is the signature sake brand of Aoki Shuzo Co., Ltd., a brewery established in 1805 during the late Edo period, located in Aisai City, Aichi Prefecture, just a 30-minute train ride from Nagoya. The sake is brewed using subsoil water from the Kiso River, carried by the Ibuki Oroshi winds, crafting a distinctly appetizing, food-friendly drink. What sets Komeso apart is its deeply traditional production philosophy: all sake is fermented using kuratsuki kobo — naturally occurring yeast native to the brewery — with no commercial ampuled yeasts added, and brewed using time-honored techniques such as hand-stirring moromi with a kai and the daki method of warming the mash with heated pots. The brewery's master brewer recommends enjoying Komeso at room temperature, lukewarm, or as kanzamashi — warmed to around 50°C and then naturally cooled back to about 18°C — a method he believes best draws out the sake's well-balanced acidity and condensed umami, culminating in a sense of supreme relaxation. Each vintage is treated as a unique, unrepeatable creation, reflecting the brewery's belief that the interplay of microorganisms, rice, and environment makes every brew truly one of a kind.
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