Junmaiginjo Kissuihidariuma
Bringing local pride to the world. Envisioning the future 100 years from now.
In only his second year of brewing, the 'Junmai Daiginjo Kissuihidariuma' from Ariga Brewery won a Gold Prize at the Fukushima Prefecture Sake Appraisal. It was a spectacular achievement for the brewery's toji (head brewer) and managing director, Yujiro Ariga. The sake's fruity, rice-driven umami was what brought home the good news.
Ariga Brewery holds a unique distinction: it is the only sake brewery in Japan that also brews makgeolli. Their 'Tora Makkori' was the brainchild of the toji's father, the 10th-generation head, Yoshihiro Ariga. "We use our sake brewing methods to make it, so it's not identical to traditional Korean makgeolli," President Ariga explains. "I tried a 'raw' makgeolli at a Korean restaurant in Ueno and realized how similar it was to our moromi (fermenting mash). After a lot of refinement, we turned it into a product." It has since become a massive hit at yakiniku restaurants in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Growing up watching his father's passionate, research-driven spirit, the younger toji launched a new brand of his own in the spring of 2013: 'Jinya.' This sake is a true expression of its home, brewed with Fukushima's 'Yumenokaori' sake rice, grown near Shirakawa, and the pure subsoil water of the Abukuma River.
"I still have so many other sakes I want to create," he says with a refreshing smile. Today, the brewery is moving forward with a new, powerful theme: What is necessary right now to create a sake from this land that will soar to the world, 100 years in the future? It's a vision that makes their future incredibly exciting to watch.
Ariga Brewery