The KOKURYU BREWERY
The historic Kokuryu Brewery (黒龍酒造), established in 1804, is located close to Kuzuryū River, a clear stream fed by melted snow from the sacred Hakusan mountain range in Fukui Prefecture. The climate in this area, by the Sea of Japan, is characterized by abundant precipitation and snowfall.
Under the leadership of MIZUNO Masato (水野 正人), Kokuryu has become a pioneer in the sake industry. The seventh-generation owner is taking on the challenge of new initiatives while honestly continuing the sake brewing traditions handed down to him through the generations.
The ingredients of sake are sake rice, water, and kōji (a fungus made from sake rice). High quality water and rice are essential for good sake. While there are more than a hundred different varieties, Yamada-Nishiki is known as “the king of sake rice”.
The premium Junmai Daiginjō* sake flavours created by Kokuryu include ISHIDAYA (石田屋), NIZAEMON (二左衛門), and MUNI (無二). Each is lavishly brewed using the highest quality Yamada-Nishiki rice available, which comes from the Tōjō ‘Toku A’ paddy field in Hyogo Prefecture.
The following phrase describes the three most important steps in sake brewing:
ichi kōji, ni moto, san tsukuri (一麹、二酛、三造り):
1) kōji (麹): converts sake-rice-starch to glucose.
2) moto (酛) or shubo (酒母): incubated yeast (kōbo 酵母) that precedes the fermentation process.
3) tsukuri (造り) or moromi (醪): the fermentation process before the sake is brewed.
Yeast has a major influence on the aroma and flavour of sake. The Kokuryu Brewery uses dozens of different yeasts and carefully controls each one’s temperature in 0.1℃ increments. The brewery uses a different yeast for each sake type, and takes its time with each and every aspect of preparation and brewing. The careful and meticulous techniques of the tōji (杜氏 person in charge sake production) and the kurabito (蔵人 brewing staff) ensure that only sake of the highest possible quality is produced.
NIZAEMON (二左衛門) is created using a method known as ‘tobin-kakoi’ (斗瓶囲い), in which a sake bag is hung to collect every drop of sake that drips down. Named after the founder, ISHIDAYA Nizaemon, this sake is a gem richly packed with the flavour of rice.
ISHIDAYA (石田屋), which bears the name of the brewery, is a special sake matured at low temperatures for more than two years. The fruity mellowness produced by the maturing process gives it a deep flavour that makes it hard to believe it is made from rice alone.
MUNI (無二) is created from specially selected Junmai Daiginjō sake from each year, which is matured in ice at -2℃ for more than five years. Muni is a rare brand that is only distributed once every few years and, as its name suggests, no two are alike. And it cannot be found anywhere else. Not only is its production method unique, at its debut in 2018, Kokuryu became the first company within the Japanese sake industry to adopt a bidding system for its purchase, which caused quite a stir among the distribution networks.
The challenges of the Kokuryu Brewery continue…..
1. The ‘sarashi’ process, which cools the freshly steamed rice, is carried out manually by brewers in a koji room at temperatures above 40℃. This is then sprinkled with kōji mold to produce kōji. 2. The unique and beautifully shaped ISHIDAYA bottles are individually produced by hand. 3. The labels are made of Echizen Washi (Fukui Prefecture’s traditionally crafted paper). Thicker than usual paper, they take more time and effort. 4. ISHIDAYA and NIZAEMON are offered in boxes made of Echizen lacquerware, a traditional Fukui craft, which is pleasing to the eye.
Sake from Kokuryu is available in Switzerland!
The Shizuku Store, the first in Zurich to specialize in Japanese sake, exclusively offers various products from the Kokuryu Sake Brewery. They can be purchased at the online shop, but we also recommend visiting the store and getting personal and competent advice from store owner and sake expert Marc NYDEGGER.
https://www.shizuku.ch/
*How to read a sake label:
・All sake brands are made of sake rice, kōji and water.
・Seimai Buai (精米歩合): percentage of rice left after polishing brown rice. Doing so brings better quality and flavour. For example, Seimai Buai 60% means that 40% of the sake rice has been polished off.
・Junmai (純米): The Seimai Buai percentage varies by brand. No distilled alcohol is added.
・Ginjō (吟醸): Seimai Buai is 60% or less, so more than 40% has been polished off.
・Daiginjō (大吟醸): Seimai Buai is 50% or less, so more than 50% has been polished off.
Links:
– Kokuryu Sake Brewing Corp.
https://www.kokuryu.co.jp/en/
– SAKETIMES (Information about sake with graphics)
https://en.sake-times.com/learn/infographics-free-download
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