Hakkaisan Sake: The Story of Niigata’s Snow-Country Brewery

For much of the winter, deep snow covers the valley around Minamiuonuma in Niigata Prefecture, although the depth varies by place and year. However, the brewery there does not treat that snow only as an obstacle. Hakkaisan sake is built around soft snow-country water, carefully selected rice and a quiet ambition: sake that belongs beside a meal. This guide follows the brand from its 1922 founding to its snow-chilled storage room. Along the way, it explains the water, the rice, the balance of manual skill and modern equipment, and the range of bottles. Where the brewery makes a claim about itself, we say so. TOCWhat Is Hakkaisan Sake? Hakkaisan sake (八海山) is a brand, not a category of sake. Specifically, Hakkaisan Brewery, known in Japanese as Hakkai Jozo, makes it in Nagamori, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture. The company dates its founding to 1922, so it marked its centenary in 2022. Quick Facts BrandHakkaisan (八海山) ProducerHakkaisan Brewery Co., Ltd. (八海醸造) HomeNagamori, Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture Founded1922, according to the company NameFrom Mount Hakkai, one of the three mountains known as Echigo Sanzan WaterRaiden-sama no Shimizu, a soft spring on the Hakkai range ...