Kokuryu Sake Brewing 黒龍酒造

 Kuzuryu 九頭龍

Kokuryu 黒龍

“Beautifully refined sake that you never get tired of drinking, and matches well with a variety of cuisines” is what 8th generation company president, Naoto Mizuno strives to achieve with each bottle of sake produced at the famed Kokuryu Sake Brewery. 

In the northern area of Fukui is a small town of Eiheiji where Kokuryu Sake Brewery resides. It was in 1804 when founder Nizaemon Ishidaya decided to branch off the main family business to establish his own brewery and start its history as one of the top sake breweries in Japan.

The Kuzuryu River borders Fukui and Gifu and is the main water source for the sakes at Kokuryu. The water itself is from the snow melting on top of the Haku Mountains, which gets naturally filtered through the rocky layers of the mountain and runs underground as Kuzuryu River where it is sourced from a well. Kuzuryu River was historically known as Kokuryu River in the past, and the sakes bear the names Kuzuryu (Nine-Headed Dragon in Japanese) and Kokuryu (Black Dragon in Japanese) in respect to this pure source of natural water.

Throughout the generations, crafting a high-quality sake had always been the priority at Kokuryu Sake Brewery as they were one of the first to mill further beyond the ginjo requirement of 60% and then the daiginjo requirement of 50% in the 60’s & 70’s. The very best Yamadanishiki from the Tojo District of Hyogo and locally grown Gohyakumangoku are primarily sourced from long-term contract growers and is used for the majority of the sakes. As for a Toji style, the brewery had inherited all different styles over its 200+ year history and the current Toji, Hiroshi Hatayama, takes a hybrid approach, incorporating techniques and theories of each Toji Guild (Echigo, Nanbu, Noto, etc) to craft a style of sake that is unique and in line with the principles of the brewery. Through Naoto’s travels and studies in the wine regions of France and Germany, the brewery incorporated 5 different temperature control zones (ranging from -10Cto +15C) within the brewery. Each zone is set based on what stage the sake is at: fermentation, pressing, storage/maturation, etc. This is all in order to have a slow and gradual development in each stage of the brewing process. There are even some sake’s aged up to 10 years at -10C to -5C, this allows the beautiful ginjo aromas to develop slowly while gaining a beautiful balance in texture and depth, and is very much a special treat.

With an eye for the future, there are still many on-going projects with experiments in traditional method sparkling sake and its aging potential, as well as building out the area where the brewery is located to house a sake shop, a restaurant, a café, and even plans to open a distillery. Naoto Mizuno’s daughters have also returned to work at the brewery.

There are 2 main brands in the portfolio: Kokuryu and Kuzuryu. Kokuryu is crafted to be enjoyed chilled with its refined ginjo aromas and a crisp drying finish. Kuzuryu is a bit more rich and full bodied with noted umami notes along with ginjo aromas. A sake that is crafted to stand up well when warmed.