Daina Cho-kara Junmai

Brewery: Kiku no Sato
Founded: 1866
Brewery Location: Tochigi
Profile: The brewery, which was first established in 1866, has been crafting well-known and delicious sake lines like Ichiryu and Kimi no Tomo for generations. In 1955, the brewery was reborn as Kiku no Sato Shuzo, and the sake they create has been loved by many ever since. At present, they are a very small-scale brewery run by four people – two generations in one family, plus two employees – and each year they produce only 400 koku, equivalent to a mere 40,000 1.8-liter bottles (and they are only operational between late October and early April). The chief brewer (or toji) who is responsible for overall sake production is managing director Makoto Akutsu. Together with the rest of his kura, they aim to produce sake that is full-bodied and balanced yet with a clean finish – sake that can be enjoyed with meals which will actually enhance the flavors of a meal.

More about the brewery