Founded in 1886
The Shiragiku Sake Brewery, originally called the Watanabe Sake Brewery was founded by Kotaro Watanabe in 1886. Their flagship sake at the time was called “Shiragiku”, meaning white chrysanthemum. This flower blooms every year in Japan in Autumn, at the time when sake is reaching its peak maturity – just as the Shiragiku blooms, so does the brewery’s sake.
In 1928, the year of the Showa Godaiten, the brewery was awarded a Japanese honour prize known as “Daiten”. In celebration of this, “Daiten” was added to the brewery’s full name, making it “Daiten Shiragiku”.
Sake making using abundant, cool, clear underground water
Bicchu Matsuyama Castle, sometimes called the “Castle in the Sky”, is located in Takahashi-shi. In the middle of the town, an area known as “Little Kyoto” can be found, where the architecture of the old town located outside the castle has been preserved and can still be seen today.
Sake brewing using Okayama’s signature rice variety
Okayama is blessed with a notably mild climate which makes it an excellent location for the stable production of high quality rice.
The Shiragiku Sake Brewery is particularly discerning in their rice selection, using Okayama’s signature rice variety Omachi, Yamadanishiki and Asahi rice, as well as Mikinishiki and Shiragiku, two of their own proprietary rices developed over a period of ten years.
Table rices such as Akihikari and Akebono have also been used at this address for many years, grown to the high level of quality that is the signature of Okayama Prefecture.
A sake made from Akebono rice
Awazo is made from Akebono rice, grown in the south of the prefecture. Its thousand-grain weight of 24-25g indicates a large grain size, and even with a low level of polishing they break apart easily during fermentation. Stickiness, structure and hardness are all well-balanced, and it produces sake with good, clean umami.
“Awazo” – Sparkling Nigori
Awazo was born from a local’s suggestion that they would like to drink a more bubbly style of nigori.
Soft and fluffy Nigorizake with packaging to match
To make this sparkling Nigorizake, still-fermenting moromi is added to the base sake and bottled while still fermenting.
The fermentation then continues slowly in bottle, giving this sake its light sparkle and leaving behind lees which become the nigori.
The label displays a worker at the Shiragiku Sake Brewery working hard to make his sake.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a a nigori that feels like a sparkling water?” with this thought, Shiragiku’s sparkling nigori was born.
No matter who you are, there’s something nostalgic about this fresh, effervescent nigori, whose fluffy, rounded character is captured in the label design.
Shiragiku Sake Brewery Awards and Prizes
Notable awards and prizes
National New Sake Appraisal
2014 Gold Medal
2015 Gold Medal
2016 Gold Medal
2017 Gold Medal
2018 Awarded
2020 Gold Medal
Omachi Summit
2021 Junmai Category Polishing Ratio: 60％+ Gold Medal （Kimoto Junmai Omachi Nanaju）
Kura Master
2019年 Junmai Daiginjo Category Gold Medal（Junmai Daiginjo Omachi）
Concours Mondial des Feminalise
2021 Sake Category Gold Medal（Junmai Daiginjo Omachi）
2021 Liqueur Category Gold Medal （Umeshu Kawara-ume）
US National Sake Appraisal
2020 Daiginjo Category A（Polishing Ratio Under 40％）Gold Medal（Daiginjo）
2020 Daiginjo Category B（Polsihing Ratio Under 50％）Silver Medal（Junmai Daiginjo Omachi）
2021 Daiginjo Category B（Polishing Ratio Under 50％）Silver MEdal（Junmai Daiginjo Omachi）
