The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Amanoto
No.76 · Brewery Profile
Amanoto天の戸 · Asamai Shuzo 浅舞酒造
Asamai Shuzo sources rice grown within about five kilometers of its Yokote brewery and has brewed only junmai-grade sake since 2011, embodying its credo that ‘sake is born from the rice paddies.’ Its junmai daiginjo has drawn international recognition, taking a top prize at the International Wine Challenge in 2016 and a platinum medal at France’s Kura Master in 2020.
Who makes Amanoto?
Asamai Shuzo sources rice grown within about five kilometers of its Yokote, Akita brewery and has brewed only junmai-grade sake since 2011, embodying its credo that sake is born from the rice paddies.
What does Amanoto taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Aromatic & Fruity, Amanoto’s Junmai Daiginjo 45, made entirely with Akita’s Gin no Sei rice, rates 3/5 aromatic, while the flagship Umashine Tokubetsu Junmai, named for “beautiful rice,” is fuller-bodied at 3/5 rich and more restrained at 2/5 aromatic.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Umashine Tokubetsu Junmai, the brand’s flagship tokubetsu junmai, named “Umashine” for beautiful rice.
How does Amanoto compare to other Akita breweries?
Amanoto is the only Akita brewery in this index tagged Aromatic & Fruity; prefecture-mate Yamamoto shares that tag but pairs it with Dry & Crisp instead of Amanoto’s Elegant & Refined, while Aramasa is tagged only Acidity-driven.
Frequently asked questions
How local is Amanoto’s rice sourcing?
Its rice is grown within about five kilometers of the brewery in Yokote, Akita.
Since when has Amanoto brewed only junmai-grade sake?
Since 2011, part of the brewery’s move to junmai-only production.
What international awards has Amanoto won?
A top prize at the International Wine Challenge in 2016 and a platinum medal at France’s Kura Master in 2020.
The bottles
Junmai Daiginjo 45純米大吟醸45
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“An accessibly priced junmai daiginjo made entirely with Akita’s Gin no Sei rice.”
Umashine Tokubetsu Junmai美稲 特別純米酒
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Named ‘Umashine’ (beautiful rice); a flagship tokubetsu junmai.”
Reading the bars: an editorial flavor reading (0–5) of each bottle — Dry→Rich, Light→Full, Subtle→Aromatic, Low→High acidity — not laboratory values. The colored badge is the SSI four-type classification (薫酒 Kunshu · 爽酒 Soshu · 醇酒 Junshu · 熟酒 Jukushu). SMV and acidity appear only where the brewery publishes them.
Sources: amanoto.co.jp · osake.or.jp