Sohomare Sake Brewery 惣誉
Situated on the east side of Tochigi prefecture in the town of Ichikai, Sohomare Sake Brewery’s current president is Jun Kono, the 5th generation of the family business which has a history of over 150 years. After returning to the brewery in 1989 and assuming the role of president in 1995, there have been many improvements to improve the quality of sake crafted. In 2001, production methods shifted to also produce "kimoto" method sakes, which had been abandoned since 1971. The Kimoto method is a traditional and labour-intensive technique to produce the starter mash that uses lactic acid bacteria in the environment to nurture yeast strains. This method results in a pure and healthy yeast environment for the main fermentation leading to more flavour complexity and providing a good structure or framework for the finished sake. All of the sake’s produced by Sohomare Sake Brewery have refinement, elegance & purity, appreciated by sake connoisseurs nationally and worldwide.
The brewery's commitment to quality is also exemplified by their meticulous selection of only the highest quality Yamadanishiki rice, sourced from “Special A” designated areas (like 1er or Grand Cru) of Yokawa and Tojo, in Hyogo prefecture. The quality sake rice is milled at the brewery and provides the base for their entire line of sakes from the Karakuchi Tokujo to the special Ki-itsu sake, a 5-year-aged, vintage-dated Junmai Daiginjo. Other sake rice are also used depending on the sake and are sourced mainly from contract growers locally in Tochigi.
Embracing innovation without compromising tradition, Sohomare skillfully marries time-honoured techniques with modern advancements. Parts of the brewery are housed with refrigeration units to allow freshly brewed sake to remain fresh near the end of the brewing season as it gets warmer. This also allows the production areas to double up as storage space for finished and bottled sake throughout the remainder of the year. Sakes are stored per batch between 5-10 Celsius in a mix of tanks and 1.8L bottle formats and are aged temperature-controlled for approximately 1-5 years to achieve an optimal balance in texture, balance, and complexity.
Another reason which makes Sohomare Sake Brewery unique is that they are skillful masters at blending. By being able to house a large inventory of matured sake, each sake in its range is produced through the art of blending. Like the blending of casks in whisky production or the assemblage for multi-vintage Champagne, blending sessions take place with the Toji, Mr. Jun Kono, and Michihiro Kono, son and next generation to lead the brewery. These sessions take place multiple times a year for each sake in the lineup and the goal is for consistency in each of the cuvées and to surpass and better the quality from the previous bottling.
Their sakes have consistently been awarded the gold prize at the annual Sake Awards and have an amazing following locally, as almost 85% of production is consumed within Tochigi. With such a following, the availability of some bottlings can be very limited but the sake’s are definitely worth seeking out!
