Brewing techniques preserved by the founding family

The history of Eau de Vie Shonai dates back to the Edo period, when the company was engaged in the koji (malt) business, which produced miso and soy sauce. Utilizing the techniques of that time, the company established a sake brewery in 1875 and began producing sake. This led to the creation of Kiyomizugawa, a sake brand that remains a representative brand to this day.

Located on the shores of the Sea of ​​Japan, where the cold winds blow, the brewery is blessed with high-quality water for brewing, thanks to the underground waters of Mt. Chokai that have been flowing since ancient times. The brewery continues to make sake using sake rice grown in the Shonai Plain, which boasts some of the highest quality in the country, and backed by 146 years of brewing techniques.

The unique brewing techniques of Eau de Vie Shonai have been passed down within the family since the company was founded. The brewer himself has honed his sake-making skills as the chief brewer, and these techniques continue to support the sake of Eau de Vie Shonai even in the Reiwa era.

"Seisengawa" is committed to meticulous brewing, with all its products handmade

The name "Seisengawa" is also connected to how our ancestors put down roots in this area. They were amazed by the deliciousness of the spring water gushing out from the Shonai Sand Dunes, and decided to use that water to brew sake, hence the name. They expressed their gratitude for the blessings of nature, and their wish to never forget that the spring water (the underground water of Mt. Chokai) was what led them to settle here.

Although the brewery is small, they stick to using local products from water to rice and yeast, and are particular about brewing everything by hand and with great attention to detail. Their Junmaishu, brewed in the harsh wind and snow, is made using Dewa no Sato, a rice variety suitable for sake brewing that was developed in Yamagata Prefecture in 2004. You can enjoy the concentrated flavor of the rice.

"Seisengawa" was created with the aim of being the ultimate sake to drink with meals. It goes well with any type of food and has a refreshing quality that you will never tire of. In addition, they use different types of sake rice, such as "Dewa Kirari" and "Dewa Sansan", depending on the product, to bring out the full flavor of rice grown in Shonai.

"Eau de vie" means "water of life" in French

The "Eau de Vie" used in the current company name, Eau de Vie Shonai, means "water of life" in French. The underground water of Mt. Chokai, a blessed spring, irrigates the fertile Shonai Plain, producing delicious rice, which in turn brews the Seisengawa rice wine. With a strong attachment to this underground water, the company changed its name to the current one in 1993 when it was reorganized as a joint-stock company.

Never forgetting their gratitude and reverence for the water that is essential to sake brewing, Eau de Vie Shonai will continue to make sake unique to Shonai, using brewing techniques supported by history and tradition to transform the rich local nature into delicious sake.