DAINA / Choudaina
KIKUNOSATO SHUZO / TOCHIGI Pref.
Farmers and Agriculture
Brewing / Brewer
Kikunosato Shuzo Co., Ltd.
Design and Art
Tadashi Nishiwaki
CONCEPT /
The name may be a pun, but what's inside is the real deal! Dry sake with a hint of fragrance.
We actually visited the brewery, went on a tour of local farmers, tasted parts of the brewery facilities and various sakes, and decided on the direction of flavor. We requested that the sake be made with the image of “dry sake with a hint of color,” and decided to ferment the sake at low temperature with aromatic yeast to create a natural dry sake, rather than forcing it to be dry. The result was a “dry sake with a hint of fragrance” with an elegant sweetness.
Brewery / Kikunosato Shuzo Co., Ltd.
Selected as one of the “Mature Sake 15” in the Golden Age 2025 by ‘dancyu’, the brewery is known for its “clean and elegant” and “stable sake quality”.
Kikunosato Sake Brewery was founded in 1866. During the period of high economic growth after the war, the brewery manufactured up to 2,000 koku of sake, mainly through the sale of vats, but in the first half of the year 2000, the number of koku manufactured was reduced to 100 koku due to the expiration of contracts with major breweries, and the brewery faced the crisis of going out of business. Then, “Makoto Akutsu,” now the 8th generation brewer, returned to the brewery and released a new brand “Ona” to revive the business. After many twists and turns, the current brewery now produces 700 sake stones, and over the past 21 years has steadily invested in facilities and grown into a brewery with a reputation for “clean, elegant,” and stable sake quality.
Illustration / Tadashi Nishiwaki
