"Kijoshu" made using a special method

Kijoshu is a luxurious sake made using a special method in which some of the brewing water is replaced with sake. It has a thick, sweet, and rich taste. It is said to have been named Kijoshu because it is reminiscent of the high-class wine known as noble rot wine.

Kijoshu is usually made by adding sake at the end of the three-stage brewing process. The high alcohol content suppresses the alcoholic fermentation of the yeast, and the sugar that makes alcohol is not broken down, remaining in large amounts in the mash. This results in a sweet-tasting sake.

Developed as a sake suitable for dinner parties

Kijoshu was actually created quite recently, in 1973. It was developed by the then National Brewing Research Institute (now the National Research Institute of Brewing) with the aim of creating a high-quality sake that could be used for toasting at dinner parties for dignitaries from overseas.

However, the "method of using sake for brewing" like Kijoshu has been around for a long time, and the Yashiro sake that appears in the myth of the defeat of Yamata no Orochi is one such example. The sweet sake enjoyed at the Imperial Court during the Heian period seems to have been made in a similar way.

Furthermore, the name Kijoshu can only be used by companies that are members of the Kijoshu Association.

Enjoy with sweets after a meal

Sweet Kijoshu is often enjoyed chilled as an aperitif or after-dinner drink. Because it has a strong flavor, it is delicious when mixed with ice or soda. It goes well with snacks such as dried fruit, chocolate, and cheese. Drizzling it over vanilla ice cream transforms it into a luxurious dessert.

SAKEWORLD NFTSho Shiki Kijo Sake Monsoon Ginbubuki(Shoshiki Sake Brewery)Tanzan Kijoshu Ruijoshu(Nishiyama Sake Brewery),Hyakunen Kijoshu 2020A wide variety of Kijoshu are available, including Oku-Noto's Shiragiku Kijoshu (Shirafuji Sake Brewery) and others.
Please come and experience the exquisite taste!

Writer/Sake Master Eriko Fujita
Expand your world to a sake specialty store in Osaka and encounter a variety of sake and sake breweries. Favorite sakes are Akishika, Ohgi, and others.
Other than drinking, my hobbies include collecting minerals and raising swallowtail butterflies.