Yucho Shuzo

Yucho Shuzo has produced sake for over 300 years in Nara, an area long considered to be the birthplace of sake in Japan. Gose village, where Yucho is located, is surrounded by tall mountains, waterfalls, and mighty rivers; all of which contribute to their sake’ bright, clean quality. The brewing techniques used at temples in Nara provided the foundations of sake production today, with Bodaimoto being the oldest method. About 20 years ago, Yucho helped revive the ancient Bodaimoto method made famous 500 years ago at the local Shoryaku-Ji Temple. In the modern era, “new” brewing techniques such as Yamahai and Sokujo developed while the traditional technique of Bodaimoto was slowly forgotten. Current 13th-Generation Brewery President Chobei Yamamoto holds a degree in microbiology, which helped him create the proprietary yeast strain (modified from Kyokai #7) used in all of their sakes. Yucho brews using only their own grown rice and freshwater that is exceptionally high in minerality. Today, they are most popular for their cult-favorite brand, Kaze no Mori. Their sakes are bottled immediately after pressing, and through a technique that bottles without any residual oxygen, the sakes display a unique liveliness and effervescence, prized by sake connoisseurs worldwide.