Carefully selected from a total of 160 varieties! Here are THE NIIGATA's top recommended sakes!

Niigata Prefecture is known as the "Sake Prefecture" with the largest number of sake breweries in Japan, and THE NIIGATA lives up to that reputation by stocking the best selection of Niigata sake in Tokyo. The lineup is well-balanced across the upper, middle, lower, and Sado regions, with over 80 breweries and about 160 brands. This time, we've picked out THE NIIGATA's top recommended sakes.

Why Niigata Prefecture is known as the sake prefecture

Niigata Prefecture is a thriving sake brewery. It boasts the largest number of sake breweries in the country, with 89 in total (one of which has a license to produce sake for export). Niigata has a long history of sake brewing, dating back more than 1,000 years, and it is said that it developed further thanks to tax support from Uesugi Kenshin.

Sake rice suitable for brewing is essential for sake brewing. Both varieties are native to Niigata Prefecture, and two particularly famous varieties are the early-ripening Gohyakumangoku, known as the champion of the east as opposed to the champion of the west, Yamada Nishiki, and the late-ripening Koshitanrei, which is suitable for daiginjo sake.

Additionally, the high quality of Niigata sake can also be attributed to the efforts made to improve sake brewing techniques and train brewers through the Niigata Prefectural Brewing Research Institute and the Niigata Prefecture Sake Brewers Association's Sake School.

THE NIIGATA will have around 160 types of sake from Niigata on display!

THE NIIGATA stocks sake from over 80 breweries and about 160 brands. The lineup includes a wide range of Niigata sake, from brands that are synonymous with Niigata to brands that are hard to find in Tokyo, so that everyone from beginners to sake lovers can enjoy it.

There is also a shop called "Niigata Sake - THE SAKE Stand" where you can try up to five sake cups from about 40 different types of sake for 1,500 yen, so you can try any sake that catches your eye before purchasing it.

On the tablet placed on the table, an AI sommelier will suggest drinks that suit your mood and preferences of the day, so you can have fun choosing the one that suits you from the many sake options available.

<TNE NIIGATA> Recommended Movies/Joetsu Edition

The Joetsu region, consisting of the three cities of Joetsu, Myoko, and Itoigawa, is one of the snowiest areas in Japan. The climate is hot and humid in the summer and cold and humid in the winter, with a lot of snow, making it ideal for fermentation, an important step in sake brewing.

Blessed with good soil and climate, there are many farmers who produce sake rice, and sake brewing has been active here since ancient times. The area is also home to both soft and hard water, which is another characteristic of the area, as the taste of sake varies depending on the area.

The 20 sake breweries in the Joetsu region, including Kaganoi Sake Brewery, which uses medium-hard water, and Tahara Sake Brewery, which uses natural spring water from the foot of Mount Kubiki Komagatake, produce a wide variety of sake using a variety of water sources while maintaining their own unique production methods.

Myokosan Kuraudo-shikimai Junmai Ginjo Yasohachi, produced by Myoko Sake Brewery in Joetsu City, is one such sake made using Gohyakumangoku sake rice grown in this blessed land.

The head brewer at Myoko Sake Brewery himself brews the sake using rice that he has painstakingly grown, and by being responsible for everything from rice cultivation to sake brewing, he is able to maintain high quality.

The handprint on the label is that of Toshiyuki Watanabe, the head brewer, and is said to express his passion and confidence in sake brewing. This sake has an excellent balance of aroma and flavor.

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<TNE NIIGATA> Recommended item/Nakaetsu edition

The Chuetsu area has various characteristics depending on the region, such as the Uonuma region, famous for its rice, the snowy Tokamachi and Tsunan towns, Sanjo city, known as the town of metalwork, and Kashiwazaki city overlooking the Sea of Japan. Blessed with an environment and water that is conducive to growing high-quality rice, many farmers in Chuetsu grow high-quality sake rice.

The Chuetsu area is home to 35 sake breweries, including Masukagami, a brewery that is committed to top-class quality, even for its regular sake, with a rice polishing ratio of 60%, and Asahi Shuzo, famous for its Kubota sake, which led the trend for light, dry sake.

Sake breweries in the Chuetsu region suffered major damage in two earthquakes, the Chuetsu earthquake in 2004 and the Chuetsu offshore earthquake in 2007. However, with the pride and passion for sake brewing that has been passed down for generations, the breweries have overcome these hardships and continue to produce sake that is loved all over Japan.

Aoki Sake Brewery in Uonuma City was founded in 1717. It is one of the sake breweries with a long history in the Chuetsu region. With the desire to "cherish harmony among makers, sellers, and drinkers," the brewery has overcome many difficult years throughout its long history, but continues to brew sake with high aspirations.

The main brand, "Kakurei," is a prestigious brand that was named by Suzuki Bokushi, a writer from the late Edo period, when his second son was adopted by Aoki Shuzo and became the seventh generation head brewer.

Kakuei Junmai Ginjo, sold at THE NIIGATA, is a sake that emphasizes the natural flavor of the rice while also harmonizing a mild aroma with a gentle, full-bodied flavor.

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<TNE NIIGATA> Recommended Movies / Shimoetsu Edition

The Kaetsu region is located in the northeastern part of Niigata Prefecture. There are 15 sake breweries in Niigata City alone, and 29 in the entire Kaetsu area.

Even though it is called Shimotsuke, there are many areas with differences in language, culture, and climate, such as Murakami City, which is located on the border with Yamagata Prefecture, and Aga Town, which borders Aizu in Fukushima, and there is a wide variety of sake breweries, so it cannot be generalized as "Shimotsuke sake".

Representative sake breweries in the Kaetsu region include Miyao Sake Brewery, which produced the nationally renowned Shimeharitsuru, and Kikusui Sake Brewery, known for its Kikusui Funaguchi sake cans.

Hiki Sake Brewery, located in Uchino, Niigata City, is a historic sake brewery founded in 1832 in the former Makimachi town (now Niigata City), and is one of the breweries that places great importance on producing local sake.

With the desire to "sell locally and have people drink locally," we maintain the policy of distributing most of our sake only within the vicinity of the brewery.

Among them, the one we recommend is Tsuru no Tomo Bessen. The more you drink, the more you are drawn in by the deliciousness. It is a well-balanced bottle of umami, with a light taste and a soft fullness of flavor. In addition, THE NIIGATA offers the brewery's representative brand, Tsuru no Tomo Tokusen, as a limited edition sake that can only be sampled for a fee.

Please enjoy the fine sake from Hiki Sake Brewery, which has continued to preserve its status as "local sake" and has been carefully cultivated.

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<TNE NIIGATA> Recommended Movies / Sado Edition

Sado Island is a remote island in the Sea of Japan. Surrounded by the sea on all sides and blessed with abundant nature, Sado City is said to have had as many as 200 breweries at its peak. Currently, there are only five breweries, but the variety of sake produced there is so great that it is impossible to generalize.

The Sado area is home to many sake breweries that maintain traditional practices while also taking on new challenges.

One example is Tenryohai Brewery, which launched a new brand called Utashiro in 2019 and opened a craft beer brewery on the premises of its brewery. Other breweries, such as Hokusetsu Brewery, are constantly incorporating new techniques such as ultrasonic vibration and centrifuge-based sake brewing, and you can sense their determination to invigorate the island with their unique sake brewing methods.

Obata Sake Brewery, which produced the famous sake Manotsuru, is one of them. The brewery continues to make sake under the motto "Shiho Wajo (brewed with the harmony of the four treasures of rice, water, people, and Sado)."

Their activities are diverse, including reviving the former Nishimikawa Elementary School, which was closed, into a sake brewery, hosting sake brewing experience programs and workshops, and setting up a research laboratory for the University of Tokyo's Future Initiative Research Center.

Obata Sake Brewery's "Sado Sennen no Sugi Junmai Ginjo" is an original product of "THE NIIGATA." It is a sake with a rich, fruity flavor, and is recommended even for those who have not had much sake before.

The attitude of creating easy-to-drink sake to attract new sake fans, not just existing fans, is something that can be seen in unique sake brewing.

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Niigata sake is carefully crafted with the characteristics and feelings unique to each region. THE NIIGATA offers a wide variety of sake with a wide range of flavors, from sweet to dry, which cannot be described in a single word.

Please enjoy the many sakes that Niigata Prefecture is proud of, while imagining the history and spirit of the sake breweries and the local environment.

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This article is a quote and re-edited version of an article from "Niigata no Tsukaikata," a portal site that promotes the charms of Niigata Prefecture. If you think Niigata Prefecture sounds interesting, be sure to check it out. "How to use Niigata": https://howtoniigata.jp/