Located in the Tochigi prefecture, Tsuji Zenbei was founded in the mid-18th century, and the family has passed down the brewing traditions to the current young owner of the brewery, who represents the 16th generation. The brewery is surrounded by very soft local well-water that allows the sake to be more umami. The brewery uses many different types of rice, including Yamadanishiki, Omachi, Gohyakumangoku, Yumenishiki, Tochigi 14, Miyamanishiki, and Ashinoyume, which are all locally sourced. This brewery is well known for the aging process of their sake, which entails five different refrigerators with different temperatures. This allows each bottling to rest at the temperature the Toji feels is most ideal for the individual style of each sake produced. Whereas the majority of breweries purchase rice that’s polished offsite, this brewery is one of the rare few that owns a rice polishing machine, allowing oversight and quality control beginning with the milling of the rice.
The style of sake at Tsuji Zenbei is made to be enjoyed with food, and they’ve found a following with a younger population of sake drinkers in Japan. The family shows extreme passion for brewing, and they strive to improve their sake each year no matter what.
