Since 1855, Shirataki Sake Brewery has hailed from the Niigata Prefecture, in the Northwest of the main island. It is one of the classic sake producing prefectures, currently home to about 10% of Japan’s breweries and produces the country’s most sake by volume. Niigata is known for its fresh groundwater that begins as snowmelt from the neighboring mountains, a journey that takes 40-50 years from snow to well water. In the decades that the water takes to journey from mountaintop to sake bottle, it slowly absorbs healthy minerals from the earth, taking on a slightly sweet flavor that has been coveted for centuries.
Shirataki is roughly 200km northeast of Tokyo, divided by a towering and sacred mountain range. Centuries ago, weary travelers from Tokyo would find solace in the abundance of inns providing shelter and warm hot-springs. Naturally, local sake from Niigata was known to soothe these arduous travelers. As Niigata experiences cold and snowy winter months, this makes sake production perfect for longer, colder fermentation. This, combined with the uniquely soft water, lends to delicate, clean and aromatic sakes. As the mountains slope to sea-level, the fertile basin provides rich soil for sake rice production, allowing the breweries of Niigata to source their rice from their local communities.
Sake brewing at Shirataki peaks in the winter months, but action goes on all year. The summer months are for maintaining the brewing equipment, the fall is for preparing the brewery for the year’s sake, and springtime is a time to give thanks and begin preparing the new year’s rice crop with local farmers.
Shirataki puts a focus on brewing excellent value Ginjo grade sakes, in classic Niigata style, with sleek and elegant packaging.
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