Kikusui Funaguchi Gold

Funaguchi is named for the spout on the press where sake first runs off, before any water or pasteurization. Kikusui put it in a can in 1972 and set off the nama sake boom.

Nothing added, nothing cooked out. No water, so it arrives at 19%. No pasteurization, so the fruit stays bright. Rich and full-bodied, with a clean finish.

The can is not just packaging. Light, heat, and air are what ruin unpasteurized sake, so Kikusui blocks the light with aluminum and fills a 180ml can to 200ml, leaving almost no air inside.

Keep it cold. Good chilled, frozen, over ice, or in a cocktail. Left in your fridge a year it turns mellower and rounder, closer to velvet. That's a different drink, and worth doing on purpose.