About Us

TONOIKE SAKE BREWERY

about us

Tonoike Sake Brewery is located in Mashiko, a rural town well-known for its pottery, about 2.5 hours north of Tokyo. The brewery houses a small sake museum where you can handle tools and learn about sake production, as well as a tasting room where you can sample fresh sake.

OUR HISTORY

Tonoike Sake Brewery was founded in 1937 by Itsugoro Tonoike, whose family began brewing sake in Tochigi Prefecture in 1829. In addition to sake, this brewery also produces a variety of items made from rice including shochu, liqueurs, doburoku, and sake cosmetics.

We also focus on exporting our products overseas. As of 2020, we have shipped our products to 13 countries (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Italy, the United States, Canada, and Australia).

Our high-quality sake, produced using traditional techniques, has won numerous awards both in Japan and abroad. 

Additionally, we ranked fourth in the 2019 World Sake Brewery Rankings, a ranking of sake breweries’ compiled scores from domestic and international contests.

OUR water and rice

For sake rice, we primarily use Yamada Nishiki, which produces a soft, clean taste, and Gohyakumangoku, which produces sake with a clean, crisp taste. In addition to the primary two varieties, we use organic rice grown by local farmers, Tochigi Prefecture’s original rice (Yumesasara, Tochigi no Hoshi), and a selection of other rice varieties. 

Our water is drawn from three wells on the premises that contain groundwater primarily consisting of melted snow from the Nikko mountain range. The water is free of impurities and can be used without filtration. This soft water is well suited to producing sake with a smooth flavor profile.
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