Daimon

Daimon brewery is one of very few sake breweries located in Osaka and produces sake that truly captures the spirit of the prefecture – a vibrant region that is culturally rich, colorful and known as the street food capital of Japan. Brewery president and toji, Yasutaka Daimon, is a 6th generation brewer that is also a jazz musician. Daimon-san often listens to jazz while making sake, believing that both jazz and sake go together hand in hand. Daimon is a globally minded brewery and world famous for their global sake internships along with creating the Sake Export Association to expand sake outside of Japan. 

Bushido

On-the-go, hassle free, premium Ginjo Genshu sake in a can. Bushido is the ancient Japanese warrior code of moral values, loyalty, and honor until death. Usually unuttered and unwritten, the code allows the violent existence of the samurai to be tempered by wisdom and serenity.

Fukucho

Fukucho’s female brewery owner, Miho Imada, is also the Toji – a rarity in Japan to have both jobs done by the same person. Miho-san’s passion and curiosity for sake brewing is truly amazing: to date she has revived a local heirloom rice that was out of use for hundreds of years, created her own hybrid yeast starter, and experimented with brewing sake using white koji. There are around 30 female tojis in Japan, but when Miho-san started brewing there were far fewer. Her extreme dedication to her craft encourages the future of women in this industry.

Shiokawa

Traditional but not bound by tradition, Shiokawa-san’s curiosity and scientific approach to brewing results in constant experimentation to make better sake year after year. This brewery is truly a family business, with only three employees: Shiokawa-san, his wife, and his cousin. Although Shiokawa-san first attempted making yamahai 14 years ago as an experiment, the demand for his yamahais have increased to the point where yamahai is now the majority of his total sake production.

Taka

4th generation President/Toji Takahiro Nagayama is passionate about his estate grower-producer style sake, allowing him to brew sake that represents his personality and to reach all the people who drink it. "Taka" is the first character of Takahiro-san's name and means "noble." His unwavering discipline and commitment to technical precision results in elegant but restrained sake. 

Takatenjin

Takatenjin is produced at the Doi Brewery. In a region of endless sunshine and pristine water sources, brewery Doi Shuzo stands out as an iconic producer of the fruity, dry style of sake that the area is known for. Takatenjin is brewed at Doi Shuzo, which is recognized for its environmentally-friendly use of solar power, on-site water treatment, and other renewable energy sources. Pure water put Shizuoka on the map for its tea production and its concentration of wasabi fields—two delicate products that require flawless water like sake does.

Chiyonosono

Known as the Junmai expert, Chiyonosono was the first brewery to stop adding distilled alcohol to its sake after the rice shortages of World War II, paving the way for the popular Junmai category. Originally a rice wholesaler, Chiyonosono specializes in rice cultivation. Chiyonosono has access to heirloom strains and brews sake with distinctive rice textures and aromas. The brewery is located on the southernmost island of Kyushu—the gateway into Japan—known for Asian and European cuisine, historic architecture, and distinct regional culture. The future 5th generation president and daughter of current the current brewery president, Yuri Honda, is already making a name for herself as an innovator in the sake community and is primed to continue pushing the brewery toward forward-thinking yet approachable sake.

Ginga Shizuku

Ginga Shizuku comes from the Kojima Sohonten Brewery founded in 1597, making them one of the oldest active breweries in Japan. After the Kojima family became the exclusive purveyor of sake to the famous Uesugi samurai clan, the Kojima family became known as samurai royalty. Located in the Yonezawa region of Yamagata, a city known for its warrior legacy. Current president Kenichiro Kojima is the 24th generation of the legendary Kojima family.

Kanbara

Kanbara is made at the Kaetsi Brewery. Kaetsu brews powerful, big, bold sake from Japan’s most popular brewing region, Niigata, which is otherwise known for producing light, clean sake. Kanbara’s bold style comes from brewing sake that is muroka (not charcoal filtered). The husband and wife co-owners come from families with sake backgrounds and Toji Kenichiro-san has made sake for over 50 years, giving Kanbara a long history of talent and experience.

Kawatsuru

Known for its rice-driven style with elegant, rich texture, Kawatsuru pays respect to the crane that symbolizes longevity and good fortune. The brewery president recently promoted longtime female brewery employee, Miki Fujioka, to become the toji. Miki-san is married with two young children (almost unheard of in the sake industry). She is serious, soft-spoken, and incredibly hardworking. Her sake is characteristically round and feminine. 

Kojimaya

Kojimaya is produced at the Kojmia Sohonten Brewery founded in 1597, making them one of the oldest active breweries in Japan. After the Kojima family became the exclusive purveyor of sake to the famous Uesugi samurai clan, the Kojima family became known as samurai royalty. Located in the Yonezawa region of Yamagata, a city known for its warrior legacy. Current president Kenichiro Kojima is the 24th generation of the legendary Kojima family.

Konteki

Konteki is prodcued at the Higashiyama Brewery in Kyoto. Konteki’s culture centers around 15th century ideals of Zen Buddhism and purity in beauty. Kyoto is the birthplace of sake and is home to the local Fushimi Mizu, one of Japan’s most prized water sources of soft, pure water. Well-respected rice farmer Masayasu Tanaka grows rice for the brewery. He is famous for growing some of Japan’s best quality Yamada Nishiki rice, considered the pinnacle of premium sake rice.

Ama No To

Mana 1751

Mana 1751 was produced at Manatsuru Brewery. Manatsuru was established in 1751 and became legendary in 1998 when the current toji took over and won every gold medal in sight. This sake embraces a truly purist philosophy; undiluted, unfiltered, unblended, pure rice sake made in the risky and labor intensive ancient yamahai method. Toji Izumi-san is on a quest to push the envelope of sake's flavor, structure, and appeal as we know it today. He has been quoted as saying "It is more important to be the only one than to be number one." This is a true microbrewery; with three total employees making 200 koku annually (4,000 x 9L cases)

Mantensei

Mantensei is produced at the Suwa Brewery. Mantensei creates elegant expressions of umami through sake that can be enjoyed at a wide variety of temperatures. Mantensei polishes its rice to 50% even though the sake is not a Daiginjo in order to create extreme drinkability alongside rich umami and savory notes—a rare balance. They use a higher-than-usual ratio of koji rice to bring out distinctive notes of smoke, honey, and soy.