Gozenshu
Okayama, Japan
Soichiro, the cool, young CEO of the company, smiles and says, “We are making a new style of sake by taking our time and using traditional manual methods so that people who have never drunk sake before can enjoy it.” This name “Gozenshu” means make an offering to royals when it started. It is a wonderful balance of traditional sake brewing and innovative sake making in Okayama.
Their traditional method is revived by the last master brewer. He discovered an ancient document about Bodaimoto, and after years of research, he created his way of Bodaimoto – which only few sake brewery does. While most sake is made with artificial lactic acid to make it faster and to reduce risk, they collect yeast naturally present in the brewery. “When I came back from Tokyo and took over this brewery, the nine of us were young, in our twenties. So I decided to create a new style that would reach our generation.” In fact, in Japan over the past few decades, the image of sake has been more of something for old people to drink and get drunk.
Surprisingly, they did not make fusions or fake new sake, but went completely back to the classics and manuals to create actually hip sake. Also unusual is the fact that their master brewer is his sister -a young lady, and which is one of the reasons why their sake seems so round and soft.
The brewery has always promoted cultural activities and many cultural figures have visited here. Today, the young generation is still leading the way, challenging tradition and new things, such as restaurants and community revitalization.
