Established in 1806, Senkin Brewery has been the pioneer of a new movement in style with more vibrant, bright, acidity-driven sakes reminiscent of German Rieslings. Traditional sake in general is low in acidity which allows for perfect harmony when paired with Japanese cuisine but the brothers of Senkin Brewery have rewritten what was the norm and are part of Japan’s sake renaissance. The 11th generation president Kazuki Usui, whose previous experience was as a sommelier and brewmaster Masato Usui have taken the helm of their family’s historic brewery since 2003. 

The brothers brought great change by crafting a sake with noted acidity and fruitiness that was originally frowned upon by sake experts and even their own father, who had left the business to his sons. Then a younger generation of sake drinkers who have grown up eating Italian, French, and other ethnic foods or using ketchup & mayonnaise, were appreciating the acidity & fruitiness and seeking out this sake that stands up and pairs perfectly with richer flavoured foods they were used to. This changed the view on Senkin Brewery from an outlier to a pioneer in Japanese sake’s resurgence. 

But it doesn’t stop there, Senkin continues to evolve & fine-tune its methods by focusing on 3 sake rice varieties (Kameno-o, Yamadanishiki, Omachi), grown locally in the town of Sakura with the same water source the brewery uses to craft its sakes, their philosophy is to be very Domaine-focused. All sakes are brewed in small batches using a blend of traditional and modern techniques, muroka (non-charcoal filtered), and genshu (undiluted or cask strength). 

Their lineup can be categorized into 3 groups: 

Modern: fruity, floral, aromatic, lively sakes with higher acidity that rewrote the rules in regards to acidity and Japanese sake. Rice milling averages 55% 

Classic: a softer style sake with a focus on umami, finesse and refinement of the traditional sake. Rice milling averages 55%, and sakes are crafted using the Kimoto method

Nature: back to basics, by using an ancient strain of the Kameno-o rice hardly milled (90%), brewed in traditional cedar tanks & vessels, relying on natural ambient yeast, and the traditional Kimoto method 

 Whatever your preference, you can’t go wrong with any choice, the quality is high and their vibrant, flavourful sake’s are not to be missed!