Kurosawa Brewery
Maruto Nature
純米酒生酛造りマルト ナチュール
Category
Sake
Type
Sake
Producer
Kurosawa Brewery
Production area
Nagano Prefecture, Sakuho Town
Rice
Self-cultivated Hitogokochi (Sakuho Town), 70% polishing ratio
Method
Kimoto, 3-stage fermentation, ambient yeast (no added yeast)
Variety
Hitogokochi
Fermentation
Moromi fermentation period: 25 days. Fermentation temperature: 14°C. Pressing: Yabuta press. Filtration: yes. Pasteurization: once.
Maturation
Bottle storage. Current vintage: 2023. Undiluted.
Capacity
720 mL
ABV
16.5%
Serving Temperatures
10–15°C or warm (48°C)
Production Quantity
8,000 btl/y
Recommended Pairings
French butter-based sauces
Tasting note
Wild and expressive, shaped by the brewery's ambient yeast and lactic acid bacteria. An addictive sweet-sour balance that pairs naturally with French-style sauces. Brewed from self-cultivated Hitogokochi grown within 500m of the brewery — a return-to-origins approach where the yeast descends from the local air.
About the producer
Brewery Guide
Located at the foot of Mt. Kita Yatsugatake in Shinshu (Nagano), along the upper reaches of the Chikuma River, the brewery sits 800m above sea level in the highland town of Sakuho. Known for its exceptional sunshine and winters that drop to -15°C, the brewery has used pure Chikuma River spring water for 160 years of sake brewing deeply rooted in the local community. Since 2009, Yohei Kurosawa has served as toji (master brewer), inheriting 60 years of experience and craft from the previous toji, now technical advisor Hajime Nakazawa.
About the Production Area
Nagano
Brewery Determination
All rice used is sourced entirely from Nagano Prefecture. The brewery actively engages in contract farming with motivated young farmers within 35km of the brewery in the Higashi-Shinano region, while self-cultivating rice that accounts for 5% of total usage — living by the motto "No Sake No Life." Polishing is done 100% in-house.
