AKABU Sake: Taste, Bottles and the Story of Iwate’s Rebuilt Brewery

Pour AKABU (赤武) chilled and its signature becomes clear. There is a fresh, fruit-like aroma, gentle sweetness and bright acidity that leaves the finish clean. The style feels modern, but the brewery behind it dates to 1896. After the 2011 tsunami destroyed its original home in coastal Otsuchi, Akabu Shuzo rebuilt in Morioka and launched AKABU in 2014. This guide explains which bottle to try first, how the main releases differ, and how to serve and store them. It then tells how a 22-year-old brewer helped turn a rebuilt brewery into one of Iwate’s best-known modern sake names. TOCWhat Is AKABU Sake? AKABU is a sake brand made by Akabu Shuzo in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. The brewery dates to 1896 in Otsuchi. It then lost its original site in the 2011 tsunami and completed a new brewery in Morioka in 2013. AKABU launched in 2014 as its modern brand, distributed through specialist retailers in many regions of Japan. It is a brand rather than a legal category of sake, and the same brewery still makes its older, Iwate-only brand, Hamamusume. 赤武AKABU at a Glance Japanese name赤武 (pronounced ah-kah-boo) BreweryAkabu Shuzo (赤武酒造), Kita-Iioka, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture Brewery founded189...