Sugino Mori Brewery, founded in 1793 within the Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings in Narai, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture, and dormant since 2012, has been reborn as "suginomori brewery," Japan's highest altitude brewery. A new brand of Japanese sake, "narai," has been launched.

Narai-juku prospered as a post town on the Nakasendo highway during the Edo period. At an altitude of approximately 940 meters, "suginomori brewery" has begun brewing, harnessing the blessings of Nagano's nature.

The original establishment was Sugino Mori Brewery, founded in 1793 and dormant since 2012. Kiraku, a company involved in business planning, development, and strategic investment centered on regional Japanese resources, has revitalized it into "suginomori brewery."

The new "suginomori brewery" occupies approximately 250 square meters, one-third the size of the previous facility. Within this limited space, small tanks are used, and the sake "narai" is produced through small-scale, entirely handcrafted production by Toji Masayuki Irie.

A refrigerated room capable of replicating winter temperatures has also been newly installed, enabling "year-round brewing," a method that allows sake production outside of winter. This makes sake brewing possible regardless of the season.

Nagano's blessings are essential to the creation of "narai." The water used is mountain spring water from near the watershed of the Shinano and Kiso rivers, an ultra-soft water with a hardness of 25 or less. The sake rice is from Azumino, Nagano Prefecture. In partnership with "Farm Ichimaru," which cultivates sake rice, Nagano-grown varieties such as "Kinmon Nishiki," "Sankei Nishiki," and "Miyama Nishiki" are used, cultivated in a high-altitude environment with meltwater from the Northern Alps.

The "narai" born from this process is also a "sake that grows." Through various trials and errors, the taste is refined. A QR code on the bottle leads to a survey page, allowing feedback from drinkers to help nurture an even better "narai."

To commemorate the start of brewing, a special three-bottle set for comparing all varieties is available for a limited time on the official website. The number of restaurants and bars handling "narai" in Japan is also increasing, and it can be enjoyed at "TASTING BAR suginomori," located on the same premises, among other places. We look forward to seeing the development of "narai," the "sake to be nurtured."