Hakkaisan Brewery
Hakkaisan 八海山
Situated at the foot of the snowy Mount Hakkai in Niigata, is one of the benchmarks for the Niigata style, ‘tanrei karakuchi’ sake. Hakkaisan Sake Brewery is a top internationally recognized brewery for its quality and craftsmanship in brewing clear, finessed, elegant, and dry sakes.
Founded in 1922, which for a sake brewery is on the younger side, Hakkaisan Sake Brewery’s main goal is “to craft delicious sake so that everyone can enjoy”. This doesn’t mean crafting only the highly prized (and expensive) Daiginjo. The range of sake produced is broad from Futsushu to Daiginjo, as well as some Sparkling sake, Kijoshu, and Shochu but with each category, the team follows a simple principle
“Challenge for quality and quantity, but never compromise quality for quantity”
Production centers around the Gohyakumangoku rice, native to Niigata, as the base for the sakes with accompanying rice varieties Miyamanishiki, Yamadanishiki, Koshitanrei and 3 other table rice. The water is sourced directly from the base of Mt Hakkai, where the snow melts each year and slowly (taking probably years) go underground to be naturally filtered and reappear as natural mountain spring water. This water, said to be blessed by the local lightning god Raiden, is a highly prized soft water that makes a cup of coffee or tea quite exquisite.
Innovation has always been part of Hakkaisan Brewery with a line of beers (Rydeen Beer), shochu, umeshu, and even a line of Amazake, a healthy non-alcoholic beverage with only 2 ingredients, koji and water. A refrigerated facility has also been developed to house the special 3 & 8-year Snow-aged Junmai Daiginjo. This facility houses up to 1000 tons of snow each year, which becomes the cooling unit and air-conditioning unit (in the summer) keeping the facility at a cool 4 degrees Celsius year round as the snow slowly melts and becomes replenished the following year. I would recommend a visit if in the neighbourhood as they allow tours and have other food, a museum, brewery to see.
