Aizu Nishiki

Aizu Nishiki, founded in 1868, is a "straight-shooting" brewery standing in the mountain village of Takasato Town, Kitakata, entrusting unpretentious sincerity to its sake. Despite losing its records in a past major fire, its history of walking alongside the community now radiates a new personality through the hands of the 6th-generation brewer-TOJI, Takanori Saito.
Their greatest distinction is brewing with "100% edible rice"—rare even within Fukushima—and the traditional "Yondan-shibomi" (4-stage brewing). By using the edible rice we eat daily (such as Koshihikari) instead of specialized sake rice, and brewing it with abundant soft water gushing from underground, they draw out the rice's original gentle and approachable sweetness. By layering careful sweetness through the 4-stage process, they achieved a "refreshing sweet profile" where a rich expansion at the moment of sipping and a surprisingly light crispness coexist.
With sub-brands bearing Aizu dialects like "Sasukene" (It's okay) and "Najosunbe" (What should I do?), their stance of delivering the hometown's warmth is truly a blissful cup born from Takasato's terroir.