Chiba Prefecture

Terada Honke makes wild, old-school sakes using organic rice and natural yeast. Masaru Terada, the 24th generation kuramoto, continues the traditional approach to sake brewing, with production centred around manual techniques such as bodaimoto used in the brewing of Daigo no Shuzuku.

Chiba Prefecture

Kuramoto and toji Hayato Shoji brews with a unique Hot-Yamahai method which involves creating the starter in very warm conditions using natural yeast. The technique gives their sakes vibrant acidity and depth of flavour, making them delicious when young and suitable for ageing for decades.

Shiga Prefecture

Ota Shuzo was created by the ancestors of the 15th century Samurai warrior-poet and military tactician Sukenaga Ota also known as Dohkan. The brewery makes rich, flavourful sake, as well as some of the best Umeshu and Yuzushu.

Kyoto Prefecture

In the idyllic fishing town of Ine lies a small brewery that has made a big impact. Kuniko Mukai’s ‘Ine Mankai’ or ‘Ine in full bloom’ red rice sake has put Mukai Shuzo and Ine on the sake map.⁠

Nara Prefecture

Kuramoto and toji Tetsuya Sakai constantly experiments with different strains of rice and brewing methods. This results in an extraordinary number of styles for such a tiny brewery which are constantly sought after because of their high quality and limited availability.

Nara Prefecture

Teruaki Hashimoto is committed to local agriculture and he is determined not to burden local farmers with the difficulty and risk of cultivating hard to grow varietals. He takes whatever rice the farmers grow and adjust his methods to bring out the best in it. The Hanatomoe range embodies this philosophy.

Osaka Prefecture

Hiroaki Oku aims for “ikkan-zukuri”, meaning production from seedling to sake. The brewery grows organic rice on 22 hectares of land. Their sakes have layers upon layers of flavour and a moreish streak of acidity. Some are held back to develop for years until Oku-san believes they’re in perfect drinking condition.