Both rice cultivation and sake making
are challenging for new stages.
Creating delicious sake. DASSAI's unique sake rice standards.
Those Yamada Nishiki farmers who supported and took on this challenge initially submitted 45 entries in the first contest, which increased to 144 entries in 2023. Additionally, as we pursue the finest sake, the criteria for sake rice assessment are also evolving.
For many years, the selection criteria for Yamada Nishiki grades prioritized the appearance and size of the shinpaku (white heart). However, there was a problem when polishing rice with a large shinpaku the rice would crack upon reaching the shinpaku, unable to withstand high polishing ratios. Therefore, starting from the third contest in 2021, we decided to assess Yamada Nishiki with Asahi Shuzo's own unique criteria. This criteria focuses on having the shinpaku "small in the center," contrary to the conventional criteria. Yamada Nishiki farmers nationwide embraced this new criteria and bravely stepped into rigorous challenges.
The sake born from rice selected in this contest is called "DASSAI Ambition."
"DASSAI Ambition" represents a challenge for creative sake brewing made possible by today’s Asahi Shuzo.
Now, we believe it's time to move on to the next stage. Instead of aiming for stable sake quality by combining the efforts of 200 brewers, we wanted to challenge creative sake brewing with a small number of brewers whom we entrust DASSAI’s future.
“DASSAI Ambition”, made possible by the maturity of the brewery, embodies the passionate sake making into which selected elite brewers put their efforts.
Titanium bottles are adopted, maintaining the quality of sake by freezing it until just before drinking.
In "DASSAI Ambition," titanium bottles are adopted. Titanium, known for its properties of heating and cooling rapidly, allows for quick chilling after pasteurization, minimizing damage to the sake from heat and enabling the pursuit of better quality.
Additionally, we've utilized a liquid freezing technique called "Tōmin," which involves rapid freezing with liquid alcohol at minus 30 ℃. By maintaining the sake in a frozen state until just before consumption, customers can enjoy it in a freshly squeezed state.
By moving away from glass bottles, the brewery's dream of delivering sake with the highest quality preserved has come true. We will continue to embrace change fearlessly and persistently focus on the ultimate goal of "enjoying delicious sake."
DASSAI Ambitionlimited quantity
Volume: 720ml, packaged in a titanium bottle
Rice: Yamada Nishiki, awarded beyond the top Yamada Nishiki Project rice
Polishing Ratio: 12%
Alcohol Content: 16%
We aim for the next stage without being bound by conventional wisdom.
Since 2019, Asahi Shuzo has been engaged in the "Yamada Nishiki Project." This is a contest for Yamada Nishiki rice participated in by rice farmers nationwide, where the grand prize-winning sake rice is purchased at 60 bales (3,600 kg) for 30 million yen. The sake made using the grand prize-winning rice, named "DASSAI Beyond the Beyond," challenged auctions at venues such as Sotheby's in New York and was auctioned at astonishing prices.
With each iteration, the "Yamada Nishiki Project" has become a high-level contest, resulting in excellent Yamada Nishiki rice from farmers nationwide. Therefore, we aimed for the next stage and changed the criteria for the contest from 2021 to evaluate sake rice suitable for Asahi Shuzo's idea of the best sake making. This criteria are different from the evaluation criteria for sake rice set by the government, and cultivating rice for the new criteria means stepping into uncharted territory. Therefore, I speculate that producers may have felt significant stress.
However, it is a great joy for us that many people have embraced this challenge with joy and been striving to make the best sake. Without the rice selected in this contest, I think this challenge would not have started.
In the process of working with such wonderful rice and attempting to make "DASSAI Beyond the Beyond" from it, we have found ourselves with a new challenge.
The new challenge is to further polish rice to the utmost. It is not about competing with the specifications of milling ratio, but about what we can do with "great" rice that can be polished more. It is only when the rice is polished beyond the limits of what is possible that it becomes attractive. The beautiful sweetness and fullness of sake that can be seen only after the excess has been removed. This is what we would like to challenge.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the rice producers who poured their hearts into cultivating this excellent rice, and to the customers who will pick up the sake that we challenge to make from the rice. And I hope that everyone will enjoy this sake.
We aim for the next stage without being bound by conventional wisdom.