• Feature

Japan's Oldest Sake Brand Shirayuki

  • delicious Japan
  • November 2022
  • Vol. 15
Itami is the birthplace of sake. The history and culture of sake live and breathe in this town, where Konishi Brewing Company has been brewing sake since 1550.
Past and Present of Konishi

The Konishi family started operating in the medicinal drug business in 1550, but shifted in 1612 to make sake brewing their main business. Their sake, brewed with advanced techniques and painstaking care, gradually began to be carried as far as Edo.

In around 1635, Sotaku, the family's second-generation manager of the business, was carrying sake barrels on a horse's back when Mt. Fuji caught his eye.

Sotaku was deeply moved by the noble appearance of the snow-clad mountain, so he transferred that image to his own sake, naming it "Shirayuki" (white snow). Shirayuki is the oldest existing brand of sake.

Company president Konishi says "The corporate philosophy of Konishi Brewing is 'immutability'. The word means 'Amid constant challenge in search of novelty, there is an essential nature that is eternally unchanging'. From 470 years ago until today, while we have been producing the sake that has set the standard for sake, we have been ceaselessly aiming for unknown territory".

Super Special Shirayuki Itami Morohaku

“Morohaku Brewing" is named after the use of polished rice for both koji rice and kake rice. It is a sake with a mellow flavor representative of Itami, the birthplace of sake. 100% Yamadanishiki produced in Hyogo Prefecture is used. Awarded International Wine Challenge 2021 Gold Trophy


Daiginjo Hiyashibori

Fruity aroma and a fresh mouthfeel. It is a medium-bodied Daiginjo sake with a firm, deep flavor. Received Delicious Sake in Wineglass 2019, 2021, 2022 Grand Gold Award

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