Fumigiku Brewery’s Century-Long Tradition Meets Innovation
Fumigiku Sake Brewery is a small but passionate brewery with a unique philosophy that has been rooted in Toyama City since 1916 and has been brewing sake for over 100 years. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016, this brewery continues to produce high quality sake by combining traditional techniques with innovative ideas based on the belief that all sake should be made in the same way as Daiginjo.
What makes the Fumigiku Brewery unique is its water source. Natural water from Toyama’s famous Joganji River water is used, which has been selected as one of the 100 best waters in Japan, which is a testament to the high quality of the water. This pure and rich water is used to brew sake with a unique flavor and aroma.
In the manufacturing process, we take the time and effort to process raw materials by limited water absorption in small quantities and carefully treat yeast. These methods are usually used only for the highest quality Daiginjo sake, but Fumigiku Sake Brewery applies them to all of its sake to improve quality. Particularly remarkable is the “Nakakumi” (Nakadori) squeezing process. This method is used to select only the middle portion of the sake that can be made in tanks, in an effort to achieve the best quality taste.
It is also highly acclaimed internationally, winning the Gold Medal in the SAKE category at the “International Wine Challenge” two years consecutively, as well as the “Delicious Sake in a Glass of Wine Award” consecutively. Thus, Fumikiku Sake Brewery’s sake has been acknowledged for its new value offerings and is highly acclaimed around the world.
The Fumigiku Sake Brewery also focuses on brewing sake using local Toyama sake rice “Gohyakumangoku”. Haneya Junmai Ginjyo Kirabi awarded the Platinum Award, the highest award at Kura Master 2023, a French sake competition, and is attracting worldwide acclaim. This is evidence of the high appreciation for the Fumigiku Brewery’s approach of respecting the unique flavors of the region by using local resources.
Fumigiku Brewery products are stored in “Bin-Gakoi” (Stored in bottles to control aging) and all sake are kept refrigerated. This enables thorough storage management at low temperatures to preserve the sake’s flavor to the best quality. This careful attention to detail keeps high quality of their products until it reaches the customer.
Fumigiku Brewery has developed a brand called “Haneya” for the national market. Of particular notice among these is “Haneya Junmai Daiginjo 50 Tsubasa,” which is widely loved for its gentle mouthfeel and fruity flavor, and has even been used in JAPAN AIRLINE first-class lounges. Furthermore, the lifestyle magazine “Pen” once again awarded Haneya the highest score in its tasting evaluation in its feature “50 starred brands of delicious sake”.
Fumigiku Sake Brewery puts a lot of time and effort into making good sake, even if it may seem like a simple way of producing sake. Despite the small brewery’s business size, its strong spirit and commitment to producing high quality sake will continue to be loved by many people in the future. This fusion of tradition and innovation in sake brewing will continue to create new history in the future. (Mr.Bacchus)
HANEYA Kirabi Junmai-Ginjo Nama-Genshu (Left), HANEYA Tsubasa Junmai-Daiginjo Nama (Right)
