October marks the arrival of the new rice harvest. Across Japan, breweries begin to stir as another season of sake-making gets under way.

This month, we turn to Yamagata, a region where a new generation of sake breweries has been quietly making its mark. Our pairing brings together two ingredients at the heart of the Japanese table: rice and ume (Japanese plums).

Tatenokawa, Junmai daiginjo, EIGHTEEN

Founded in 1832, Tatenokawa has been brewing for more than 180 years. Yet it is a house of restless invention: every bottle it makes is a Junmai Daiginjo, and it has never stopped asking how far rice can be polished.

When a polishing ratio of 35% was thought to be the limit, Tatenokawa kept going. “EIGHTEEN” is where that pursuit began, the first sake to reach a ratio of 18%.

Of every 1 kg of rice, only the innermost 180 g is used. The rest is polished away.

The rice is Yukimegami, developed in Yamagata over 15 years expressly for ginjo brewing. Yamagata is among Japan’s great rice-growing regions, and its fertile land shows in the grain.

Polished to this degree, the rice gives a sake of clarity and delicacy. Pure, precise, and with a depth that reveals itself slowly.

Noshi Ume by Satoya

Its companion is Noshi Ume, one of Yamagata’s best-loved traditional confections.

Founded in 1821, Satoya has been crafting traditional sweets for more than 200 years. Yamagata is home to many such houses, each carrying generations of craftsmanship and tradition.

Noshi Ume traces its origins to the Edo period, when it was made as a medicinal confection. While it is now produced by confectioners throughout the prefecture, it was Matsubei, Satoya’s first master, who is said to have perfected the form we know today. Satoya is therefore regarded as the original purveyor of Noshi Ume.

Only fully ripened Yamagata plums are used. They are slowly simmered and dried, then carefully wrapped by hand in bamboo leaves, one piece at a time.

Think of it as Japan’s answer to pâte de fruit. The plum’s natural fragrance, tartness and sweetness are concentrated into something small and intensely flavoured—a taste that lingers long after the final bite.

A sake of remarkable clarity and purity, paired with Noshi Ume, where the essence of ripe plum is beautifully concentrated.

Discover rice and ume, as Yamagata knows them.

An Autumn Note from Yamagata:
Tatenokawa & Ume

Price: ¥2,000 (tax included)
Serving: 30ml + noshi ume
Sake: Tatenokawa, junmai daiginjo, EIGHTEEN
Period: 7 October 2026

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