Ice-Aged Sake Brand '°Ondo' Hits 884% on Makuake; General Release of 280-Bottle Limited Batch Aiming for 'Global Luxury Sake' Status

Izumise Co., Ltd. (HQ: Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto; CEO: Naotaka Totsuka), which operates over 50 online sake specialty stores and engages in product development and web production, is launching its new product '007 Meursault Cask −3℃ 2023 Junmai Daiginjo' under its '°Ondo' brand, which specializes in redefining sake through ice-aging.

Only 280 bottles of this product have been manufactured. Production is handled by Honda Shoten Co., Ltd., owner of the 'Tatsuriki' sake brand, and the product achieved 884% of its target amount during a pre-sale on Makuake.

■ Aiming for 'Global Luxury Sake'
Worldwide, there are spirits recognized as 'luxury' such as Romanée-Conti, Montrachet, and Dom Pérignon. These are defined by their long history, overwhelming scarcity, and unique flavors born from aging. They are not merely drinks, but 'experiences' that captivate people globally.

While sake also boasts world-class culture and quality, only a handful of brands have been established as luxury products internationally. Recently, high-priced sake has increased, but few products can truly explain 'why' they are expensive or special.

This is why the ice-aged sake brand '°Ondo' was launched.

°Ondo does not merely aim to be a premium sake brand. Like top-tier wines, it aims to create rare sakes where value is backed by philosophy, aging, and accumulated time.

■ Moving Beyond 'Vaguely Expensive' to Value Built on Time and Meaning
At °Ondo, sake is aged over long periods in the 'ice-temperature range' between -5°C and 0°C, just before water freezes.

Unlike conventional aging, this method slowly deepens the flavor while maintaining aroma and clarity. Through this specialized, labor-intensive aging, the brand pursues a value distinct from conventional sake. Temperature and aging periods are adjusted for each brand, with production limited to hundreds of bottles.

■ Three-Stage Aging: Ice-Aging × Meursault Cask
'007 Meursault Cask −3℃ 2023 Junmai Daiginjo' is based on Junmai Daiginjo made from Special A grade Yamadanishiki rice from Yoshikawa-cho, Hyogo, polished to 35%, and completed through three stages of aging.

- Stage 1: Approximately 2 years of ice-aging
Aged at -3°C for approximately two years to gently refine the flavor while suppressing oxidation and discoloration.

- Stage 2: Post-aging in Meursault casks
Post-aged for approximately five months in white wine casks from the producer 'Pierre Bouree' in the Meursault appellation of Burgundy, France. This adds nuances of white flowers, nuts, and vanilla, giving depth to the aroma while preserving sake's characteristic clarity. The casks used had been employed for wine aging for a total of 32 months (two previous 16-month uses).

- Stage 3: Re-ice-aging
Aged in an ice-temperature environment once more to blend the opened aromas and flavors, balancing the overall profile.

■ 884% Achievement on Makuake
The pre-sale conducted in April 2026 reached 884% of the target amount. In addition to sake fans, the product attracted interest from those interested in wine-cask aging and aged sake, gathering significant support for the limited-quantity release.

■ Sake Brewery 'Honda Shoten' and Brand 'Tatsuriki'
Production is handled by the sake brewery Honda Shoten, based in Himeji, Hyogo, founded in 1921. Known for its innovative approach in Banshu Himeji sake brewing, the brewery focuses on premium rice varieties and Daiginjo sake. They use subsoil water from the Ibo River, pumped from 103 meters underground, which is soft water (hardness 46) ideal for slow fermentation. The brewery has been experimenting with ice-aging for approximately 40 years, exploring new possibilities for sake's maturation.