Nobuko (Inaba Shuzo), Steven and Graig (Kenshin Sake), Yoshitaka (Inaba Shuzo)
Inaba Shuzo
Est. 1867
Inaba Shuzo was founded in 1867 in rural Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, two hours north of Tokyo. The small brewery uses fresh spring water from Mt. Tsukuba for its sake known for producing elegant profiles. Their high quality sake is all handmade, a rarity when many producers are looking to decrease costs.
Nobuko Inaba, who inherited the business from her family, is the 6th generation to take over and one of the few head brewmasters in Japan. She leads the brewery with her husband Yoshitaka Inaba. Starting off in the early 2000s, the husband-wife team brewed on their own but have slowly over time increased their staff.
Since taking over, Inaba Shuzo has focused on high quality Junmai sake and has been recognized around the world at Japanese national and international awards ceremonies. The brewery has also committed to using only local rice to produce their elegant sake.
Inaba Shuzo located in Ibaraki prefecture
Products
We’re proud to feature this Junmai Ginjo sake handcrafted by Nobuko Inaba for a few reasons. One—she’s one of the few female head brewers in Japan; two—it’s simply an all-around premium sake that will impress even those who are new to sake.
Minanogawa showcases fragrant aromas including ripe lychees and bananas. There’s also a soft texture with a hint of strawberry on the palate. Countless customers are consistently impressed with this sake’s elegant profile.