Hakusen Fukuraijun Aged Hon-Mirin (白扇酒造 福来純 伝統製法熟成本みりん)

The story behind it

In Kawabe, on the banks of the Hida River in the Gifu hills, a small brewery has run since the late Edo period. Hakusen Shuzo started as a mirin and shochu shop and obtained its sake brewing license in 1901.

Fukuraijun aged hon-mirin (true mirin, a brewed sweet rice seasoning) is made from glutinous rice, rice koji (the fermentation culture Aspergillus oryzae), and the brewery's own rice shochu, and nothing else. It is brewed slowly over about 90 days, then aged in the brewery for another 3 years. The mirin comes out amber, thick, and sweet enough to drink on its own.

It has been ranked first in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun's survey of seasonings chosen by cooking professionals, which makes it something of a benchmark for hon-mirin. Kyoto restaurants keep choosing it too. This is the brewery's calling card.