Brands

Echigo Samurai is an innovative brand of Tamagawa Shuzo that shocked the world with a surprising '46% alcohol' specification, breaking common sense for sake. Pursuing sake brewing techniques to the limit, it achieves a refined deliciousness that doesn't feel rough despite its high alcohol content. Its most distinctive feature is its mysterious charm as 'non-freezing sake' that doesn't freeze even at sub-zero temperatures. The smooth mouthfeel that belies its high percentage and the refreshing stimulation that spreads after passing the throat make one feel a strength and purity like a samurai. It is a cup of sake that proposes a new style of sake, enjoyable on the rocks, with water, or even as a cocktail base.

A brand that utilizes Iwate Prefecture's sake rice and the local terroir, developed as one of Kikunotsukasa Shuzo's diverse lineup. It is a sake that values regionality, fusing Iwate's rich nature with traditional brewing techniques.

Echigo no Choja is a community-based brand of Niigata Meijo, bearing a name that symbolizes the rich nature and prosperity of Niigata (Echigo). It pursues a refinement typical of Niigata sake, where the inherent flavor of rice lives, providing a plump umami while the aftertaste vanishes smoothly. Insisting on local ingredients from Ojiya and brewed with techniques cultivated over many years, this sake is supported as a high-quality bottle that adds flair to daily meals. Its versatile flavor, good both chilled and warmed, connects regional bonds and warmly envelops dining scenes, truly a brand concentrating the blessings of Echigo.

Fuyushogun (General Winter/Old Man Winter) is a seasonal brand of Niigata Meijo that powerfully symbolizes the arrival of Niigata's snowy winter. Befitting its brave name, this sake brewed amidst the severe winter cold features a fresh aroma and rich flavor. Its particularly popular Nigori (cloudy) sake maintains an exquisite balance between a smooth mouthfeel where rice sweetness is concentrated and a refreshing stimulation when passing the throat. It pairs perfectly with nabe (hot pot) dishes, a winter delicacy, and provides a joy unique to snow country, as if warming your heart and body from the core in contrast to the cold outside air.

Hina no Yukigura is a brand that concentrates the essence of snow storage technology cultivated by Takanoi Shuzo. By letting it sleep in a quiet snow cellar in a mountain village (Hina), it gives the sake a deep peace and maturity. The constant low temperature and high humidity unique to the snow cellar advance the maturation of the sake slowly and surely. The dignified refreshing feeling that spreads the moment it enters the mouth, followed by a calm and deep umami, is as if tasting the winter of the snow country itself. It is an emotionally rich bottle one would want to enjoy with luxurious time.

Ryoga is a premium brand born from the challenging spirit of 'surpassing and running beyond' (Ryoga) existing frameworks based on techniques and experience cultivated by Matsunoi Shuzojo. While maintaining the traditional brewery's stance, it pursues high-quality brewing with new sensibilities. Brewed slowly at low temperatures with carefully polished sake rice, this sake features a flowery and transparent aroma and a refined clear flavor. This brand, filled with the brewery's pride, is a cup like a work of art that brings out the maximum potential of the sake itself. It is a brand filled with passion to carve out the future of sake.

Eiho is the highest-grade brand concentrated with the essence of the brewery's technology and tradition, bearing the name of Eiho Furusawa, the founder of Matsunoi Shuzojo. To record the founder's name is a mark of maximum confidence and responsibility from the brewery. It is truly a masterpiece representing the history of Matsunoi itself. Brewed with all their strength by the brewers during the severe cold using 'Koshi Tanrei' sake rice from Niigata polished to 35%, this Junmai Daiginjo features a flowery and dignified aroma and an incredibly smooth, silk-like profound flavor. It is a work of art of sake that Tokamachi is proud of, suitable for celebratory cups on special days or gifts for important people.

Nechi is a world-standard premium brand expressing the culmination of the 'Domaine' (estate-owned land) style advocated by Watanabe Shuzoten. By using only rice harvested from specific rice fields in Nechi Valley where the brewery is located and consistently managing everything from cultivation to brewing, it pursues the ultimate terroir. Displaying a 'Vintage' (harvest year) like wine, its greatest feature is a flavor that maximizes the individuality of rice created by each year's climate. The quality, brewed through precise temperature control and careful manual labor, possesses overwhelming transparency and refined elegance. It is a brand that opens up new possibilities for sake, sealing the land's story into every drop.

Nechi Otokoyama is a brand that can be called the origin of Watanabe Shuzoten, fusing the strength of traditional brewing with the pure nature of Nechi Valley. It has been deeply loved locally even before the establishment of the Domaine style and passed down as a regional pride. Focusing on estate-grown rice, it features a balanced quality achieving both powerful umami and a sharp clean finish. While having the powerfulness that makes one feel the inherent vitality of rice, the aftertaste is infinitely pure. It harmonizes brilliantly with any dish and brings a sense of security and richness to the dining table. It is a trusted long-selling brand where the belief of 'brewing the land' lives.

Katanoi is a representative brand named by combining the 'Gata' (lagoon) of Ogata-ku, where Koyama Shuzoten is located, and 'I' (well), the lifeblood of brewing. It contains gratitude for the beautiful scenery of Ogata, where many lagoons were once scattered, and for the high-quality water nurtured by the earth. Its quality is characterized as 'Tanrei Umakuchi,' where the mellow umami of rice perfectly melts into the clean and light mouthfeel typical of Niigata sake. Its versatility, being delicious both chilled for a sharp taste and warmed for a plump flavor, is also attractive. It is loved as a great supporting player at the dining table, enhancing local dishes blessed with seafood.

Echigo Jiman is a representative brand brewed by Koyama Shuzoten with pride in the history of Echigo (Niigata) and their own skills. It features a sincere flavor that directly shapes the brewery's philosophy of 'careful brewing without cutting corners.' Niigata-grown sake rice is brewed with underground water from the sacred Mt. Yoneyama and carefully matured using traditional handmade methods. While based on the 'Tanrei' sharpness typical of Niigata sake, it pursues a balanced quality that lets one feel the solid presence and umami of rice. It combines the approachability of a daily evening drink with the dignity suitable for special occasions. The 'pride' (Jiman) of the flavor nurtured by the terroir of Echigo has been loved by many local drinkers for years and is familiar as the face of the community-based brewery.

Haruki is a dedicated brand carving out the future of the brewery, bearing the name of Takeda Haruki, the ninth-generation owner of Takeda Shuzoten. Pouring all his passion and skills as a master brewer responsible for the next generation, it was born as a special bottle where the inheritance of tradition and new challenges fuse. While based on the supreme sweet style that 'Katafune' has protected, it adds a modern refined sensibility. It features a dignified core within the sweetness and an afterglow that resonates incredibly beautifully. The brewer's stance of pursuing sake that he himself can truly call 'delicious' and pouring his soul into every bottle has captured the hearts of many sake fans. It is a brand showing a new frontier for Takeda Shuzoten, shedding new light on tradition.

Sesshu is a brand familiar as a sake that stays close to the local daily life, based on the knowledge of sweet sake brewing cultivated by Takeda Shuzoten over many years. Like the master painter Sesshu of the Muromachi period, it pursues universal beauty and flavor loved across eras. It features a deep and mellow flavor that boasts outstanding compatibility with local Joetsu cuisine and home cooking with sweet and spicy seasoning. The attractiveness lies in the balance that maximizes the sweetness of rice, which only a brewery sticking to sweet style for over 150 years can achieve. It is a trusted long-selling brand that continues to be chosen by local people as 'the usual delicious sake.'

Kubiki is the signature brand symbolizing Kubiki Shuzo, its name deriving from the ancient name of the Joetsu region. Missioned to convey the regional history and terroir to the present, it is a sake that condenses the blessings of the rich land of local Kakizaki into every drop. While light, it features a balanced quality where the powerful umami of rice is firmly alive. Designed in pursuit of perfect harmony with meals, every sip enhances the attractiveness of dishes and invites the next sip. It is an orthodox brand filled with the brewery's pride, embodying a sincere brewing stance in harmony with the nature of Kakizaki.

A brand that challenges the potential of adding brewer's alcohol by reconsidering the technique in a modern way. With a flavor design that exceeds the concept of conventional Honjozo sake, it presents new possibilities for alcohol-added sake. It features a light and sharp mouthfeel and high cost performance, aiming for a sake quality that accompanies the daily dining table.

Echigo Toji no Sato is a brand named with deep respect for the professional brewers of Niigata, the Echigo Toji. The Kakizaki district is a historical base that has produced many famous Toji, and the soul of that tradition is passed down to modern brewing. Leveraging the traditional brewing techniques of Echigo Toji, it features a warm flavor of rice that makes one feel a sense of nostalgia. Staying close to local food culture, it has outstanding compatibility with Kakizaki regional cuisine and seafood. It is a simple and sturdy brand unique to Kakizaki, the 'hometown of toji,' conveying regional culture and pride to future generations.

Chibitagawa is the signature brand representing Yoyogiku Jozo, its name deriving from the 'Chibitagawa' spring at the foot of Mt. Yoneyama. This pure water, which has a legend of being praised as the 'miraculous water of eternal youth' by the famous Edo-era monk Ryokan, is the source of their brewing. Its greatest feature is a silky smooth and gentle mouthfeel that maximizes the characteristics of Mt. Yoneyama's underground water (ultra-soft water). The pure sweetness of rice spreads softly, and the aftertaste is crystal clear. It is one of the famous sakes representing Joetsu, created by the natural blessings of Kakizaki and careful work using traditional 'Funashibori' pressing.

Gataichi is one of the signature brands of Kato Shuzo, a local sake bearing the name of 'Gata' (lagoon) that symbolizes the Joetsu region. Affection for the regional landscape and history, which once had scattered lagoons and was blessed with rich water, is contained in its name. In pursuit of a clean and light 'Tanrei' mouthfeel that one never tires of, so it can be enjoyed for daily evening drinks. Within that, a certain umami derived from rice can be felt, finishing into a flavor that provides comfort. It is a bottle loved as the closest existence to the local people, staying close to the nature and food of Yoshikawa-ku.

Kiyomasa is a mainstay brand that Kato Shuzo has carefully brewed for many years, its name said to derive from the Sengoku military commander Kato Kiyomasa. It is a sake possessing both a firm core of strength and a pure sharpness, overlapping with the image of a military commander. Using sake rice from local Yoshikawa-ku and clear water, it is carefully finished with traditional brewing methods. Its characteristic is a balance that does not interfere with dishes but rather enhances their flavor, making it a versatile quality that can be enjoyed with daily meals. It is a trusted brand long loved locally, embodying the pride of the brewery rooted in the region.

Echigoya is a brand developed by Kato Shuzo bearing a traditional business name. It is brewed with the good old business spirit of Niigata (Echigo) and a sense of gratitude to the community. Using rice and water blessed by the rich nature of Yoshikawa-ku, it achieves both unpretentious approachability and certain quality. While light, it features a harmonious taste that never tires the drinker. As a sake that supports community life, it values a gentle personality that blends into the scenery of daily life.

Arigatashi is an innovative brand from Yoshikawa Toji no Sato that challenges conventional wisdom in sake. While it is usually considered that higher polishing (lower percentage) removes impurities and leads to higher quality, this brand dares to set the rice polishing at '90% (low polishing).' One can enjoy a unique taste that maximizes the powerful umami and potential inherent in rice. The raw material is the highest-grade Yamada Nishiki cultivated without pesticides or chemical fertilizers using the Nagata-style natural farming method. The name 'Arigatashi' contains deep gratitude for the blessings of nature and the farmers who nurture every grain of rice. It stands apart from conventional fruity Ginjo sakes, its mellow and complex umami that makes one feel the energy of the earth gaining enthusiastic support among sake fans.

Yukizakari is a brand containing thoughts for the severe winter of Niigata and the snow symbolizing it. Using pure snowmelt water of Yoshikawa-ku, a heavy snowfall area, it is a sake brewed by utilizing the maturation environment unique to a snow country. Its greatest feature is a pure and transparent mouthfeel like silently falling and accumulating snow. While not flashy, as one continues to drink, the plump flavor of rice spreads gradually, finishing into a quality that warms the heart. A sincere and simple local sake that lets one feel the winter emotions of Niigata.

A brand that finishes with a taste tailored to modern preferences while inheriting the traditional style of Nigori sake (cloudy sake). It features a rich sake quality where the umami and sweetness of rice can be felt abundantly, and a soft mouthfeel. The balance of moderate sweetness and acidity is good, allowing you to enjoy the mellow drinking comfort unique to Nigori sake. It is a versatile bottle where the umami of the rice stands out even more when warmed, not to mention drinking it straight chilled.

Tenkeiraku is a major brand representing Yoshikawa Toji no Sato, containing the wish to 'enjoy the blessings of heaven (nature) harmoniously.' As its name suggests, it is a well-balanced sake where skilled craftsmen harmonize good rice produced by the rich nature of Yoshikawa and pure water. Its greatest features are a flowery and transparent aroma and a smooth mouthfeel. Designed in pursuit of drinking comfort, it harmonizes beautifully not only with Japanese food but also with Western and modern dishes. Its approachable and elegant quality is highly evaluated especially by women and those new to sake, and it has gained popularity as an 'evolved local sake' suitable for modern dining tables.