MEET OUR BREWERS
Each brewery in our curation has been intentionally chosen. They are located in various prefectures across Japan and each showcase a unique style, technique, and culture. Each brewery utilizes their own rice and water available to them in their respective regions to create sake that is special and delicious. We are excited for you to meet the people and places behind the incredible sakes available here on Takasan. We invite you to journey across Japan and bring just a little bit of their special story home.
ASAHI SHUZO - DASSAI
Yamaguchi PrefectureThrough crises and difficulties, Asahi Shuzo has carefully innovated their own unique way to brew sake. Over the past few years they adapted their work to produce sake year-round (instead of just during sake season), something all but unheard-of in the industry. By producing sake steadily, they have succeeded in minimizing variables, allowing them to focus on the minutiae of the craft.
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ASAHI SHUZO - KUBOTA BREWERY
NIIGATA PREFECTUREAsahi Shuzo was founded in 1830 with the motto, "Quality First." They believe that the quality of rice is the utmost importance in sake brewing; as one of their past Toji put it succinctly: "The quality of sake cannot go beyond the quality of the ingredients."
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DEWAZAKURA BREWERY
Yamagata PrefectureIn order to understand why this brewery is so special, we need to take a quick dive into the world of Liquor Tax Act in Japan. Stay with us here, because this might be the only time where a story about taxes will keep you on the edge of your seat, because it's really a tale about a plucky underdog coming out on top.
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HAKUTSURU BREWERY
Hyogo PrefectureOne of the biggest and best-selling brands in Japan, Hakutsuru's reach is far and wide; in fact, they were already a big enough player in the sake world by the 20th century that they were featured in the 1900 Paris World Exposition. They were also the first company to sell sake prepackaged in glass bottles (it was sold by weight before, with the customers bringing their own container from home. Super eco-friendly, actually.) in 1901.
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KAMOIZUMI BREWERY
Hiroshima PrefectureFounded in 1912, Kamoizumi Brewery is one of the newer breweries in the famed sake-making region Saijo. During the late 1960s, when almost all sakes available on the market were sanzo-shu, sake that is fortified with brewer's alcohol (distilled alcohol), Kamoizumi Brewery pioneered junmai brewing techniques by created a traditional junmai sake made only with rice and rice koji.
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KINOSHITA BREWERY - TAMAGAWA
Kyoto PrefectureFounded in 1842, Kinoshita Brewery - Tamagawa is definitely a brewery "doing interesting things" today. Tamagawa views each bottle as a work in progress. Time is the last ingredient they add to their sakes: each sake they produce is showcased in their newborn form as unpasteurized, unfiltered, undiluted (“3U”) limited editions, shipped throughout the winter brewing season as soon as they are pressed.
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KOSHI NO KANBAI - ISHIMOTO BREWERY
Niigata PrefectureCalled Koshi no Kanbai, meaning Winter Plum of Koshino (an old name for the Niigata region). Named after the beautiful, hearty winter plum that is a frequent subject of art and poetry with its delicate flowers blooming in the cold of January and February on snow-laden branches, the tree is a symbol of both beauty and perseverance.
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MASUMI/MIYASAKA BREWERY
Nagano PrefectureMasumi, a nationally admired sake brand, was founded in 1662 in Suwa, where a tradition of precise craftsmanship led the city to become the center of the silk industry. Still today, this attention to detail remains at the heart of the Masumi philosophy.
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OKUNOMATSU BREWERY
Fukushima PrefectureOkunomatsu Sake Brewery was founded at the beginning of the Edo period (1603–1868). They began as rapeseed oil merchants and by 1716, they were also producing miso, soy sauce, and of course, sake. Since then the spirit of their founder and his pursuit of high-quality sake brewing has been passed on generation to generation. Not only are they known for the quality of their sakes, but also their attention they give to packaging design, resulting in unique bottles.
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OTOKOYAMA BREWERY
HOKKAIDO PREFECTUREOtokoyama's history goes back to the Edo period (1603-1867) where it was so prized that it was appointed as the official sake purveyor for the Edo-era shogunate and aristocrats. Synonymous with good sake, it was so well-known that it would get mentions (perhaps it was Edo period product placement) in pop culture of the times, from Kabuki theater shows to Ukiyo-e paintings (Japanese woodblock print). This long-acclaimed sake is brewed with underground water from the mountains of Hokkaido.
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SENKIN BREWERY
Tochigi PrefectureSenkin offers sakes categorized into three series: Modern, where they highlight its juicy, sweet tart flavor profiles, Nature, which uses all-organic materials and age-old Edo period techniques, and Classic series, which has sakes with more umami flavors.
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SOHOMARE BREWERY
Tochigi PrefectureRun by the Kono family since its founding, Sohomare Brewery was founded in 1872. Before taking over the business, the fifth generation and current president, Jun Kono, traveled to France in the 1980's to study the language and wine. His time there will later greatly influence the direction of the brewery. Shortly after becoming president in 1989, he decided the primary output of their sakes will be made kimoto style, there by radically differentiating his company from other breweries.
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SUIGEI BREWERY
Kochi PrefectureSurprisingly, Suigei is the only sake brewery in Kochi City. It's original incarnation began in 1872, under different name, but in 1969, the company was renamed Suigei. Literally, Suigei means drunk whale, and it is an abbreviation of an alias of Yamauchi Yodo, a Japanese feudal lord of the area. Their main concentration are shokuchushu, or sakes to be had with meals/food (table sake), and many of their sakes are dry and high in umami and acidity.
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TENZAN - SHICHIDA
Saga PrefectureTenzan began as a water mill in 1861, producing flour and soba noodles and rice polishing services for neighboring sake breweries. In 1875, a neighboring sake brewery going out of business begged Tenzan to not only buy out their sake equipment but the brewery itself. Not being able to turn their neighbors down, Tenzan bought the entire business and thus Tenzan's own sake business began.
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YAEGAKI BREWERY
Hyogo PrefectureYaegaki started out as a timber company founded in Banshu-Hayashida (modern day Himeji area) of Hyogo Prefecture in 1666. The “Yaegaki” brand, established in 1881, was named after a poem written by Susanoo-no-Mikoto, an ancient mythical character thought to have pioneered the Himeji area. Yaegaki uses the name as a symbol of celebration and joy that sake can bring to people's lives.
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YAMANASHI MEIJO BREWERY - SHICHIKEN
Yamanashi PrefectureIn 1750, 1st generation Ibei Nakaya branched out from the Kitahara family in Shinshu Takato (slightly northwest of Hokuto) to start his own brewing company. He based himself in Hakushu, falling in love with the water quality there. Today, several major companies have set up whiskey and mineral water factories, making Hokuto the biggest mineral water producer in Japan.
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