HIOKIZAKURA

Yamane Shuzo / Tottori, Japan
They were one of the first sake brewers to engage in rice cultivation. Unlike wine, sake makers usually do not engage with rice farming, but they believed that good rice is necessary to make good sake. They revived "gouriki," which had died out over time, and worked with farmers to reduce the use of pesticides and put the farmers' names on the labels on the back of the bottles. Their method of sake brewing is "kimoto". This is the most difficult and labor-intensive method today, which takes in lactic acid bacteria from the air to produce lactic acid and destroy miscellaneous bacteria. The result is a powerful and rounded sake that can be aged for two years. The brand name "Hioki" means "the more time it spends, the better it tastes."