Nabeshima Sake: Saga’s Award-Winning Japanese Sake Brand

Picture a quiet brewing street near the Ariake Sea, lined with white-walled storehouses. In 2011, a sake from one of those breweries took the top sake prize at the International Wine Challenge in London. The bottle was a Nabeshima sake (鍋島), Nabeshima Daiginjo, made by Fukuchiyo Shuzo in Kashima, Saga Prefecture. For many drinkers outside Japan, that result was probably the first time they heard the name. Yet the award is only part of the story. Nabeshima is a young brand from an older brewery, rooted in a town that has made sake for centuries. This guide follows that path, then turns practical: what the sake tastes like, what it costs, where to find it, and which bottle to try first. TOCWhat Is Nabeshima Sake? Nabeshima is a Japanese sake brand, not a style or category of sake. Fukuchiyo Shuzo, a brewery founded in 1923, launched it in 1998. The label now covers dozens of bottlings, from junmai daiginjo to everyday honjozo, made with several rice varieties. Quick Facts: Nabeshima Sake Japanese name鍋島 (Nabeshima) BreweryFukuchiyo Shuzo Co., Ltd. (富久千代酒造) LocationHamamachi, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu Brewery founded1923 Brand launched1998 Best-known awardChampion Sake, In...