Taiyo Sake Brewery is a ten-time gold medal winner at the largest and most acknowledged sake competition in Japan, the National New Sake Awards.
Taiyo Sake Brewery is located in Murakami, the northernmost town in Niigata Prefecture. Once a prosperous castle town of the Murakami Clan, remnants of the samurai era and its merchant town charm still remain. A number of historic festivals continue to this day, attracting large crowds of visitors.
Murakami has also been a thriving brewing area for many years. The oldest of the 14 original local kura (breweries) has been in operation since 1635. Taiyo Sake Brewery's history began when the 14 local kura merged to form one company in 1945.
During harvest season, the Murakami plain is blanketed in golden rice fields which provide an abundance of the best quality rice in Japan. The network of underground water channels which skirts around the Miomote River creates the perfect setting for brewing premium sake. In this rich environment, Taiyo strives to produce the finest sake available.
Niigata's sake breweries, known for producing world-class handcrafted sake, employ sake brewers and brewery workers called
kurabito. Taiyo Sake Brewery's expert kurabito include a toji (head brewer or sake master) who is highly respected in the Niigata
sake industry. Nowadays, with mechanization and the introduction of computers, the methods for controlling sake brewing have
changed, and our kurabito make continuous efforts to incorporate scientific analysis into the development of sake brewing.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that their highly-regarded skills, experience, and intuition continue to play the most important role in
Taiyo's sake production. Taiyo's handcrafted sake is the perfect combination of art and science, requiring great devotion from our
kurabito to preserve our tradition of being the best. This combination of continued dedication, effort, and passion has received
much global praise, including being awarded the Gold Medal ten times at the most highly regarded sake competition in Japan, the
National New Sake Awards.
Taiyo's average rice polishing ratio is under 60% (meaning 40% of the grain is milled away, leaving a grain 60% of its original size), while the national average is 70%. Taiyo's unusually high polishing ratio means that most of substances which cause unpleasant flavors and aromas are removed. As a result, the remaining high quality starch brings a light and refreshing flavor to our sake.
TAIYO's sake can be succinctly described as crisp and dry. It has a lighter and less sweet taste than the national average, with a
delicate aroma and flavor. This understated character can accentuate the enjoyment of meals while representatively showing the
real beauty and greatness of Niigata Sake within the Japanese diet.