Shizuoka Sake Festa (Vinos Yamazaki) 2026/4/12

Participated in the Shizuoka Sake Festa at Vinos Yamazaki Tamaplaza store. There were 4 participants. Mr. Yamada (who usually works at the Nakameguro store), who used a tablet to explain the sake breweries and the sake, is a sake connoisseur who has even helped with koji making.

Isojiman Senbatsu Honjozo

High quality and clean.
Personally, I feel it's a bit light and lacks impact, but it's a well-balanced, refined-looking Honjozo that you can keep drinking forever. Delicious.
Isojiman Sake Brewery is particularly particular about the rice washing and soaking processes, and it is said that the Toji (master brewer) says, 'Sake brewing begins with washing and ends with washing.' All rice washing and soaking are done by machine.

Isojiman Junmai Ginjo Betsugakoi

A clean, quintessential Junmai Ginjo. This also feels high-quality and has the style of a Daiginjo.
It's not flashy, has a nice bitterness, and while it doesn't have any particular defining characteristics, in other words, it's a textbook Junmai Ginjo. It gives the impression of earnestly and straightforwardly striving to perfect quality.
It has a firmer taste than the Honjozo, but personally, I prefer something with a bit more punch.

Shosetsu Junmai Ginjo Aiyama

100% Aiyama, the characteristics of the rice are said to be rich and juicy.
Indeed, it is sweet and has umami.
However, it is at a distance from the sweet, tasty, and juicy sake that is popular in the world. It's calm, or perhaps elegant, and personally, I like it this much.
The Shosetsu (Yamada Nishiki Junmai Ginjo) I drank before had a sharp finish, but this Aiyama Shosetsu is closer to the type I like.
The brewery recommends pairing it with sakura shrimp.

With snacks, 3 glasses plus 2 refills, and a 1-hour lecture from Mr. Yamada, a sake connoisseur who also has experience helping with koji making (this was the most valuable part), the satisfaction level for 1000 yen including tax is quite high.

Isojiman has well-equipped sake brewing facilities, and it seems they have accommodation facilities with one room per brewery worker (perhaps that's normal these days), so I thought it must be quite difficult to make good sake.
It seems that Isojiman Sake Brewery has about 20 employees, including office staff.