Ask the sake brewery

[Aichi/Kintora Sake Brewery] Brewing sake in the heart of Nagoya! We asked about the thoughts and challenges of the "Torahen" brand

Kinko Shuzo, founded in 1845 (the second year of the Koka era), is located in the city center, about a 10-minute drive from Vantelin Dome Nagoya, and has been brewing handmade sake using the skills of Echigo Toji for generations.

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Kintora Sake Brewery was founded along the Zenkoji Kaido road by the first Osakaya Zenbei, who started the sake brewing business.
For generations, sake has been brewed by Echigo Toji brewers, whose hometown is Niigata Prefecture, and the current Toji brewer, Kimura Shinichi, has such skilled skills that he was awarded the Brewing Technician of the Brewing Association of Japan in 6.
While focusing on the Kin Tora brand that has been handed down for many years, they are currently developing a new brand called Torahen. We asked them about their thoughts on offering sake that captures the changes of the times while protecting the history of the brewery.

I spoke to this person

Yoshifumi Mizuno, seventh generation brewer at Kintora Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
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He studied law at the Faculty of Law in university and worked as a systems engineer after graduation. In 2004, he joined Kintora Sake Brewery to take over the family business. He is now focusing on new initiatives that utilize Nagoya culture and revitalizing sake in the prefecture.

After being burned down in the air raids, sake brewing resumed

During the Edo period, Owari Domain, which is now Nagoya City, encouraged sake brewing that made use of rice harvested in the Nobi Plain. Kintora Sake Brewery is one of the long-established sake breweries that was born during this period. The name of their main brand, Kintora, comes from the fish part of the "golden shachi" (golden carp), a famous landmark of Nagoya Castle, and also from the fact that the third-generation owner, Zenbei, was born in the year of the tiger.

In 20, the brewery was burned down in the Great Nagoya Air Raid, but thanks to the efforts of the fourth and fifth generations, it has been beautifully rebuilt. The tools that were purchased from scratch and the techniques that have been cultivated over many years are still present in the taste of Kintora today. Generations of brewers have had close ties with Echigo Toji brewers, and they have specialized in producing sake with a light, easy-to-drink taste. Clear sake cannot be faked, so a high level of sake brewing technique is required. I visited the brewery in late November, right in the middle of brewing, and was impressed by how thoroughly organized all the work spaces were.

Mizuno-san: "Keeping the brewery clean and tidy is also an important factor in producing a clean-tasting sake. The brewery environment also affects the quality of the sake."

In 2012, in addition to the existing "Kintora", they released a new brand called "Kohen". The name is a reference to the way a tiger's fur changes with the change of seasons, and expresses their determination to continue evolving with the times. Based on the techniques that have been handed down for generations, they continue to take on the challenge of becoming "a new Nagoya sake brand".

"Tohen" was born from the renovation of the brewery's facilities

-Please tell us why you decided to release the new song "Torahen."

Mizuno: "Since the beginning of the Heisei era, we have been expanding our business under the 'Kintora' brand, but our focus has been on affordable products that are popular locally. In this context, we decided to release 'Toranen' to expand our lineup to include products in the mid- to high-price range."

- Were there any major changes to the construction site?

Mizuno-san: "The first Toji brewed Torahen was made by a previous master brewer, who then handed the reins over to the current master brewer, Kimura Shinichi. This change in master brewer was a coincidence, but it was an opportunity to revamp our equipment and brewing methods. We installed new equipment, such as rice washing machines, and increased the number of brewers by one. We also custom-made the koji room to fit the height of the master brewer, and created an environment that made it easy for him to work alone at night. This was the perfect time to make major changes."

-What kind of reaction have you received from people who have been enjoying the product for many years?

Mizuno-san: "We've heard mostly from people who come to the brewery, but I feel like they've received it very favorably."

-Will it mainly be consumed within Aichi Prefecture?

Mizuno: "Around 8 to 9 percent of what we produce is consumed locally. Outside of the prefecture, we mainly sell to neighboring Gifu and other areas in the Tokai region. We used to distribute to Tokyo as well, but the COVID-XNUMX pandemic cut off our connections with restaurants. We only sell Torahen through authorized dealers, so we have narrowed down our sales destinations even further."

Sake World NFT available for purchase

Sake World NFT has the following planned lineup:

・ Daiginjo Torahen

This is a Daiginjo sake that ranks among the highest class of Torahen sakes. It has an elegant fragrance reminiscent of white flowers and a ginjo aroma reminiscent of bananas. It has the transparency that is characteristic of Kintora Shuzo, and you can enjoy a slightly soft sweetness and subtle acidity. It is a well-balanced sake that is refreshing and crisp.
Raw material rice: Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture
Rice polishing rate: 40%

NFT Sub-Zero Storage

・Junmai Daiginjo Kintora

It combines the aroma and flavor of Yamadanishiki with a gorgeous elegance and a pleasant mouthfeel. This is a Junmai Daiginjo of the highest quality, bearing the brewery's name, "Kintora."
Raw material rice: Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture
Rice polishing ratio/40%

NFT Sub-Zero Storage

Mizuno-san: "Our Daiginjo "Tohen" is made using Yamada Nishiki rice from Hyogo Prefecture, and is a brand that we brew mainly for the National New Sake Tasting Competition. As a result, we have received high acclaim, winning the gold medal seven times and an award three times in the past ten years. It has a crisp, clean taste that is typical of the Echigo style, but you can also feel the fullness of the rice and the fullness of the aroma. We also value the fact that it can be enjoyed as a drink with meals, so we hope you will enjoy it with a variety of dishes. Our Junmai Daiginjo is brewed with 10% koji, and by reducing the koji, the ratio of rice used increases, and by reducing the ratio of water, we bring out the flavor of the rice. It is brewed with a new approach, and I think it fits the concept of a high-quality Junmai Daiginjo."

-Are there any changes as it matures?

Mizuno-san: "We store the sake in the brewery by brewing year, and sometimes we serve it at special tasting events. In the first year, it gives the impression of being a gorgeous, high-quality Daiginjo, but as the years go by, the individual characteristics of each year, such as the characteristics of the rice and the climate, emerge. Some sakes become more rounded as they age, while others remain a little firm but maintain a refreshing taste. I think the fun of aging is being able to enjoy the differences between vintages."

-What do you think about aging at -5 degrees?

Mizuno: "I've only had experience storing it at 5 degrees, but even after a year at this temperature the gorgeous aroma remains and doesn't change much. In particular, Kintora Sake Brewery's sake has a relatively low amino acid value of less than 1, so it is not prone to changes in taste due to aging. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of aromas and flavors will emerge in an environment of minus 1 degrees."

Kintora Shuzo: Always Taking on Challenges

-Please tell us about your future prospects.

Mizuno: "It's been about 10 years since we released Torahen, but our previous brand, Kin Tora, still accounts for a larger proportion of sales. I'd like to continue promoting Torahen and working to increase awareness.

As a brewery, we also make a unique type of sake every year as a "challenge tank," with themes such as emphasizing sourness and flavors that go well with miso in the past. We also tried exchanging koji with Yamamori Shuzo, also located in Nagoya. This year we made "shubo squeezed frozen sake in a pouch," which we just recently completed. The yeast is still active, so it has a sweet and sour taste, like yogurt for adults. It's in sherbet form, so when you combine it with sake, the sweetness and sourness blend together, and we thought that it might be well-received even by people who don't usually drink sake. We would like to continue to see the reaction of our customers as we move forward with this.

Kintora Sake Brewery's sake shines in the heart of Nagoya. Its clear taste and its challenge to capture the times will further boost Nagoya's sake culture. Expectations are high for the future, which will continue to evolve with "Torahen." We can't take our eyes off its next development.


Writer: Yuki Arai
Born in Shiga Prefecture, living in Kyoto City / Sake master, sake sommelier, shochu sommelier, SAKE DIPLOMA, SAKE certification instructor
Due to his love of alcohol, after graduating from university he got a job at a liquor store in Kyoto. After that he worked in sales for a food manufacturer before becoming a freelance writer. His specialties are traditional cuisine and alcohol. He will continue to work hard to spread the appeal of Japanese sake through his articles.

Kintora Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

Kintora Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

Start a business
2 (1845nd year of the Koka era)
Representative stock
Golden Tiger, Tiger Transformation
Address
11-16-XNUMX Yamada, Kita-ku, Nagoya, Aichi PrefectureOpen with Googlemap
TEL
052-981-3960
HP
https://kintora.jp/
Opening hours
10:00~17:00
Closing days
Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays

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