Photo= Students from the Japanese sake project at the University of Shiga Prefecture show their finished product, the new sake "Kofuu," and newly produced posters (Hikone City Hall, Shiga Prefecture)

Sales of a new sake named "Kofuu," meaning lake wind, classified as Junmai Dai Ginjo, or pure rice premium brew sake, have recently begun. The sake is produced by students at the University of Shiga Prefecture in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. Its production is a joint project in cooperation with Kita Shuzo Co., Ltd., a sake brewery in Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture. This is the project's sixth year and for the first time, "Yamada Nishiki" was used for the malted rice, giving the finished product a deep flavor.

The approximately 20 students involved in the university's "Kofuu" Japanese sake project cultivated a portion of the raw material, rice, in a university field, experienced the manufacturing process at the brewing, and selected one among four sake candidates with different alcohol concentration levels at a quality determination meeting in March.

This year, "Yamada Nishiki" was used for the malted rice, along with "Nipponbare" rice which has been previously used. The sake is said to have an alcoholic strength of plus 0.4 and is slightly on the sweet side, with a slightly dry, refreshing aftertaste. Atsushi Imoto, a senior and previous project leader said, "We knowingly work to provide an easy to drink sake for students' sake-drinking debut."

The bottle's label was also redesigned and features Lake Biwa, fish from the lake and other items. There was also a strong promotional focus, with the creation of four types of posters and a brochure that introduce the manufacturing process, past versions of Kofuu and how to drink the newly invented "Kofuu cocktail." Mizuki Nishibayashi, a junior in the Department of Living Design at the University of Shiga Prefecture, managed all of it.

The sake is sold in 720 milliliter or 1.8 liter bottles for 1,500 yen and 3,000 yen, respectively, excluding tax, at 20 liquor stores in Shiga Prefecture and the University Co-op. For more information, call the University Co-op at 0749-25-4830.