Mansaku no Hana releases two autumn-only hiyaoroshi sakes

Japanese sake breweries have a custom of releasing a different sake for each season. The one that announces autumn is ‘hiyaoroshi’. Hinomaru Jozo (Hinomaru Jozo) of Akita Prefecture, a rice-growing region in northern Japan, began shipping two autumn-only hiyaoroshi from its flagship brand Mansaku no Hana (Mansaku no Hana) in stages from around 3 September 2026.

Hiyaoroshi: settled after a summer of maturation

Hiyaoroshi is a seasonal sake brewed in winter and spring, rested in the brewery over the summer and released in autumn when the weather turns cool. It is said to lose the roughness of young sake and to come together in flavour. Both of these two sakes are genshu pasteurised only once (heat sterilisation). Genshu means sake bottled without adding water. Hinomaru Jozo bottles the sake and then stores it at a low temperature to see it through the summer.

Junmai and Tokubetsu Junmai: two bottles with different characters

The first, ‘Mansaku no Hana Hiyaoroshi’, is a junmai sake. It is made only from rice, rice koji and water, with no distilled alcohol added. It has a light acidity and the gentle sweetness of rice, with a faint dryness lingering in the finish, which makes it a flavour that does not get in the way of a meal. The second, ‘Umakara Mansaku Hiyaoroshi’, is the autumn version of the brewery’s staple ‘Umakara Mansaku’ and is a tokubetsu junmai sake. Tokubetsu junmai is a category of junmai sake in which the brewing has been refined a step further, for example by polishing the rice more. A restrained ginjo aroma and a rounded rice sweetness unfold, and the dryness in the finish is distinct.

Limited releases continuing in late September

In the same month of September, the brewery announced other limited sakes as well. From its series for comparing different sake rice varieties came a junmai sake made with Misato Nishiki (Misato Nishiki), a sake rice developed by Akita Prefecture in 2002. Misato Nishiki is a variety created by crossing two leading sake rices, Yamada Nishiki and Miyama Nishiki. Its flavour is described as a firm acidity followed by umami that fades quietly away. From around 25 September came the autumn edition of ‘Toji Senbatsu’, chosen by the toji (the brewmaster) himself and released with a handwritten label, followed by ‘Chogentei’, a junmai daiginjo released only twice a year.

If you come across Mansaku no Hana in Europe, check whether the label carries the word ‘Hiyaoroshi’. That word marks an autumn sake matured over the summer. Serve it only lightly chilled or at room temperature, rather than very cold, and the roundness created by maturation is easier to appreciate. It should pair easily with the European autumn table, including mushroom dishes, game and hard cheeses. Tasting the crisp junmai alongside the dry tokubetsu junmai will show how different two sakes from the same brewery can be.