1. Understanding

The main ingredients of sake are rice and water. The local climate and terrain significantly influence brewing. Nishino Kinryo primarily uses Oseto sake rice from Kagawa, and through repeated testing, established optimal brewing methods. Sake brewing begins each year by assessing the rice quality.

2. Diligence

Kinryo's Junmai Daiginjo has a polishing ratio of 35%, meaning 65% is polished away to use only the pristine center. After polishing, the rice rests in a cool, dark place until temperature and moisture become uniform. It is then washed and soaked with carefully managed absorption rates (by variety and polishing ratio), then steamed for about one hour. Brewery workers meticulously verify the steaming, and modern equipment rapidly cools the rice to the proper temperature. Each of these processes embodies the accumulation of the brewers' tireless diligence.

3. Refinement

Steamed rice is brought into the koji room, maintained at around 32°C and 40-70% humidity. Koji is created by sprinkling the rice with koji mold spores to propagate them―a crucial process determining sake's flavor. This work is founded on the spirit of refinement, continuously honing the skills and dedication passed down through generations. Koji is a living organism that changes by the moment. Brewers perceive its subtle transformations through accumulated experience and all five senses, nurturing the koji through repeated attention and thorough temperature management.

4. Intuition

Next comes the shubo (yeast starter) process to propagate yeast. Koji, steamed rice, and water are added in three stages to create the moromi(the main fermentation mash). Through chemical analysis and numerical management, brewers also confirm foam appearance and aroma-flavor, applying their cultivated intuition while stirring to adjust temperature and fermentation.

5. Entrusting

Fermenting the moromi slowly at low temperature produces sake with minimal impurities and a crisp finish. After 20-25 days (*1), when the foam begins to settle, the final stage approaches. The pressed sake undergoes“hi-ire”pasteurization to stabilize its quality (*2), then quietly matures in storage tanks.
*1 Fermentation p eriod varies by t ype.
*2 S ome s ake, such a s n amazake, is not pasteurized.

6. Acceptance

The pressed sake represents the moment when all previous brewing efforts come to fruition. Brewery workers confirm its aroma and flavor profile, quietly accepting the results. Each drop, brewed while assessing rice quality and fermentation progress, embodies the makers' spirit.

7. Gratitude

In traditional Japanese sake brewing, sake holds important significance as an offering to the gods (shinsen). At Nishino Kinryo, which brews sacred sake for Kotohira-gu Shrine, the annual Hatsu-shibori ceremony at the Tadotsu Brewery offers new sake a nd prays for s afe brewing.