
Dry handmade Junmai sake Mitsutake
Mitsutake Brewery | Saga Prefecture
Joint-stock company Kobu Brewery
Mitsutake Sake Brewery in Hizen Hamajuku, Saga, has been weaving together more than 300 years of tradition and innovation under the philosophy of "brewing sake is developing people." It has produced many master brewers and is highly regarded both in Japan and overseas.
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Mitsutake Sake Brewery in Saga Prefecture was founded in 1688. Located in Hizen Hamajuku (Kashima City, Saga Prefecture) overlooking the Ariake Sea, the brewery has preserved the traditions of sake brewing for over 300 years.
This area has been a major sake brewing area since the Edo period, and has continued to develop in the sake brewing and seafood processing industries since the Meiji period. Even today, the area remains an atmospheric street known as "Sake Brewery Street," with its many earthen-walled sake breweries.
Despite being located in a town of sake breweries, the sake brewery at Koubu Shuzojo has produced so many master brewers that it is called the "Kobu School" within Saga Prefecture, and it can be said that its sake brewing is a symbol of the history and culture of Hizen Hamajuku.
In addition to high-quality sake rice grown by their own farmers in Saga Prefecture, Mitsutake Brewery actively uses sake-brewing rice from around the country, such as "Yamada Nishiki" and "Gohyakumangoku," in pursuit of a wide variety of flavors to meet the diverse food culture. They are also exploring new possibilities, such as trying to make sake using "Yume Shizuku," an edible rice native to Saga Prefecture.
Their commitment to ingredients is no exception, even when it comes to water. They pump high-quality underground water from the Tara mountain range from a well on the premises and use it for everything from washing the rice to diluting the sake. Under strict quality control, they continue to make sake that makes the most of the pure water that is unique to this region.
Based on the philosophy that "brewing sake is developing people," and with the motto of "innovation from tradition," they pursue sake brewing that meets the needs of the times. They aim to brew sake that enriches people's hearts by constantly working to improve quality while protecting traditional techniques.
Since the 1990s, the company has been producing shochu in addition to sake, and in 2011 it expanded into the fields of liqueurs and fermented foods, launching a lineup that makes use of the techniques that have been passed down through the generations.
Alongside these challenges, the company has also focused on ginjo brewing, which has led to numerous awards at domestic tastings, as well as a gold medal at the International Wine Challenge (IWC), the world's most prestigious wine tasting, and has earned high praise at overseas tastings.
While protecting the sake brewing traditions nurtured by their predecessors, Mitsutake Brewery adds flexible ideas to meet the needs of the times. They will continue to strive to create sake that inspires people through the creation of a valuable food culture.
Mitsutake Brewery | Saga Prefecture
Mitsutake Brewery | Saga Prefecture
Mitsutake Brewery | Saga Prefecture
Mitsutake Brewery | Saga Prefecture
Mitsutake Brewery | Saga Prefecture