Eiheiji Town, Matsuoka, where Kokuryu is brewed, is a small town that was once home to 17 breweries, a renowned sake-producing area. Here, the snowmelt from the sacred Mt. Hakusan mountain range, filtered over many years through the nourishment of the mountains, emerges again as famous water. The underground water from the Kuzuryu River, Fukui Prefecture's largest river that flows nearby, is soft and creates a light, smooth, and supple mouthfeel, making it ideal for the clean and full-bodied ginjo sake that Kokuryu aims for. This Kuzuryu River was once called 'Kutsureu River' (Kokuryu River), and several Kokuryu (Kurotatsu) shrines are enshrined in its basin. The names 'Kokuryu' and 'Kuzuryu,' the brand name for Kokuryu Brewery's warm sake, are derived from this Kuzuryu River.

Thus, Daiginjo 'Ryu' was born. Refusing to yield to the brewing industry's common belief that it could not be commercially viable, this was the first daiginjo sake to be commercialized nationwide. It garnered attention from sake lovers and the media across the country as 'Japan's Most Expensive Sake.' This marked the beginning of its journey as a ginjo brewery, leading to today's high-quality brewing, where approximately 85% of its production consists of 'Tokutei Meisho-shu' (special designation sake).
*Tokutei Meisho-shu: A classification of sake established to distinguish it from general sake (futsu-shu). It includes premium sakes other than futsu-shu, such as daiginjo, junmai, and honjozo.

At the 'Kanetajima Sake Brewing Village,' built in 2005, a total refrigerated storage area exceeding 1,000 square meters was established to achieve ideal aging. This includes a 700-square-meter raw sake cold storage, a 135-square-meter refrigerated blending room, and a 225-square-meter finished product cold storage. Combined with four hyoonko (ice-temperature freezers) and 16 outdoor thermal tanks, meticulous temperature control ensures stable product quality for customers. The flavor is initially kept subtle in the raw sake stage, and through thorough low-temperature aging during storage, it develops an elegant umami and a soft texture. The 'Kanetajima Sake Brewing Village' embodies the philosophy of 'aging' as a second brewing process.

'Sake you brew yourself is like your own daughter. A parent's heart wishes to dress her in a beautiful kimono for her wedding, and we put great effort into our labels and gift boxes.' These are the words of Masato Mizuno, the seventh-generation brewer. True to his words, they have continuously created unique designs by leveraging local industries, such as Echizen washi paper and Echizen textiles for labels, and velvet for labels, as well as Echizen lacquerware for gift boxes. Furthermore, Kokuryu Brewery has adopted original bottles for its main 720ml products, embodying the same dedication to design in every detail as they do to the contents within the bottle.

Being a safe and secure product is one aspect of this. In August 2008, Kokuryu Brewery introduced a bottling line equipped with a cleanroom. Additionally, elements that have often been secondary to 'quality' in the domestic sake industry, such as 'enjoyment,' 'convenience,' and 'style,' have become important. We aim to convey the appeal of sake to those unfamiliar with it through initiatives like 'Kantano Shi,' a sake warmer for enjoying warm sake at the perfect temperature; 'Gin no Tobira,' a small, easy-to-drink ginjo sake for those new to sake; and 'Sake Glass,' encouraging restaurants to offer sake in small portions. We want to continue our challenge of 'from zero to one cup.'

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