Dassai Beyond

  With Dassai 45, 39, and 23 under their belt, Asahi Shuzo decided to take the next step and go Beyond. The ambition was to go beyond what was already widely considered the "perfect" sake in Japan, Dassai 23. And so, Dassai founder Hiroshi Sakurai and his small group of the finest sake artisans began their ten-year journey, culminating in Dassai Beyond. Annual production is limited to a few thousand bottles, and the fermentation is longer and at a lower temperature. The brewing process is shrouded in mystery (the polish ratio is undisclosed, for example) but what is clear is that Beyond transcends the realm of sake. This sake, along with Dassai 23, was the sake Prime Minister Abe chose to present to President Obama during his trip to Japan in 2014.