AGAINST
THE GRAIN
Can a Japanese sake be designed to be enjoyed, understood and appreciated by the rest of the world? We defied the odds to do just that.
AGAINST THE GRAIN is 100% brewed from rice grown in Niigata, Japan and comes in two versions: JUNMAI DAIGINJO for a clean and refined finish, and TOKUBETSU JUNMAI that is perfect for those with more adventurous palates.
TOKUBETSU
JUNMAI
Specially brewed with a unique blend of Gohyakumangoku and Tsukiakari rice together with pure spring water from Niigata, this Tokubetsu Junmai exudes an elegant and fruity aroma, delivering a velvety texture with refined umami and light acidity. It makes for a delicious sake on its own, and is always ready for a culinary adventure.
JUNMAI
DAIGINJO
Brewed with 100% Koshitanrei rice and pure mountain water from Niigata, this Junmai Daiginjo exudes a mellow fruity aroma, delivering a good balance of sweetness and umami with a clear, silky texture that finishes on the palate like melting snow. It is refreshing on its own and perfectly poised to harmonise with a wide range of cuisines.
NAKADORI JUNMAI DAIGINJO
This premium edition is produced especially for connoisseurs, using the nakadori or ‘middle press’ method of selecting the smoothest portion during the production of our JUNMAI DAIGINJO. Limited strictly to 120 bottles only and personally selected by Kubiki Shuzo's Master Brewer, Tsukasa Yoshizaki, winner of the Niigata 2023 Toji of the Year Award.
A GIFT FROM SINGAPORE TO THE WORLD
Sake is amazingly versatile with food yet is often overlooked by the world at large due to its inscrutable nature. NORMAT sought to create an original high-quality sake that could raise global appreciation for this quintessentially Japanese beverage, and to do so in collaboration with a traditional Japanese brewery. “Impossible!” was the expected and repeated response, until we found in Kubiki Shuzo, a dream partner who shared in our belief that tradition and craft needs to be relatable to modern audiences and perspectives in order to thrive.
Everything about AGAINST THE GRAIN was designed to overcome cultural and culinary barriers to its greater enjoyment. To craft a true original, we first exposed our partners from Kubiki to the amazingly varied cuisines here in Singapore. From there, we built a unique flavour profile and worked with local farmers in Niigata to plant and harvest the famed Koshitanrei and Gohyaku Mangoku rice to be used for our sake.
“From my first sip of sake, I realised its immense potential. AGAINST THE GRAIN breaks the mould of sake being enjoyed with Japanese cuisine only. It is 100% authentic, yet crafted from the grain up for a far more worldly palate.”
The packaging and even the name – in stark contrast with the majority of commercially available sake – were made for ease of identification and selection. We have been told it would have been far easier to simply white-label an available sake. But then anyone could have done that, and it wouldn’t have been our own.