Hiroki Sake Brewery was established in 1892 in the small town of Aizubange which is part of the Aizu basin in Western Fukushima. This small brewery produces one of Japan’s famous sake brands credited with reviving the boom in Jizake or locally crafted, small-batch sake styles. Ironically Hiroki Sake Brewery was once on the verge of closing and ceasing operation, until it recovered under the guidance of 9th generation Company President and Master Brewer Kenji Hiroki, who returned to his ancestral home, and took on many new challenges following key personnel retirement and the premature death of his father in the late 1990’s.
The brand Hiroki emerged from obscurity in 1999 following support from Tokyo and increasing acclaim for the brewery’s fresh, unpasteurised sake (Muroka Nama Genshu) which was being transported to the market. At the time Hiroki’s approach was unconventional and ensured the brewery’s popularity among sake fans. The Hiroki brand was famously elusive because of the difficulties in supplying quantity of this delicate unpasteurised sake. Over the intervening years Kenji Hiroki has worked very hard to imbue his small production sake with a sense of the distinctive flavours of Aizu and to lock in the distinctive “Hiroki” taste.
