Established in 1548, Yoshinogawa is located in the Niigata Prefecture in the small city of Nagaoka City and, is now in the hands of the 20th generation of the Kawakami Family. It is 5th oldest existing Sake brewery in Japan. Yoshinogawa is one of the largest sake producers in the Niigata prefecture which is a well known major premium rice producing area. Yoshinogawa is also the oldest sake producer in Niigata. The region is a known for its crisp, clean sake with a dry finish. Refreshing sparkling Sake with the addition of Japanese Yuzu juice. It shows the citrus aromas of Yuzu and grapefruit and the palate is elegant. The gentle bubbles, burst with Citrus fruits and just a hint of bitterness to balance the clean finish.

With this whisky, White Oak opted for a little twist in their aging process using ex Sake Casks to mature for three years. This provides a sweet and fruity profile. Full boded palate with deep sweetness, malt, and a very slight peat. Medium to long finish. Located in the city of Akashi in the Hyogo Prefecture, by the seaside of the Seto Island Sea is the White Oak Distillery. This distillery was founded in 1888 by Eigashima Shuzo and has been producing Sake and Shochu every since. In 1919, Eigashima Shuzo obtained a license to manufacture whisky and when the company moved to their current facilities in 1984, the White Oak Distillery was born.

Tsuru-Ume series are brewed and blended with the long experience and the rich skill and recipe in the liquor sprits brewing works of Heiwa Shuzou brewery. The most specific idea of living in this modern world stands on the understanding of “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability.” In this idea, the Tsuru-Ume series are hand-crafted in the concept of LOHAS style. That is why this series is not for mass production and easy consumption. You will know it when you try! Among the products produced in Wakayama prefecture is Heiwa Shuzo Tsuru-Ume Kanjuku Umeshu is made with plums from Wakayama, is aged for six months and used in the production of this sake. It is made using the entire fruit and is fortified with sake. It is sweet without being overripe. Cool it and enjoy it straight or on the rocks. Store in a cool and dark place away from sunlight to avoid spoiling the taste. After opening, store in a refrigerator and drink as soon as possible.

Igarashi Shuzou Brewery is in the Saitma Prefecture located at the confluence of the Naguri and Nariki Rivers. This is a rare sake produced using pink yeast. There are two companies within the prefecture, including Igarashi Shuzo using this pink yeast. Pink yeast is very delicate, to the point the pink colour becomes less noticeable when mixed with even the slightest difference in yeast. Because of this delicacy, special tools are used for this sake and has been produced with such care to prevent other yeasts from contaminating it. Don't let cute pink colour fool you, this sake is not as sweet as it looks. It has a balance of sweet and sour taste.

Tsuru-Ume series are brewed and blended with the long experience and the rich skill and recipe in the liquor sprits brewing works of Heiwa Shuzou brewery. The most specific idea of living in this modern world stands on the understanding of “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability.” In this idea, the Tsuru-Ume series are hand-crafted in the concept of LOHAS style. That is why this series is not for mass production and easy consumption. You will know it when you try! Among the products produced in Wakayama prefecture, Heiwa Shuzo Tsuru-ume Suppai Umeshu is a new plum sake from Wakayama Prefecture, the plum heartland of Japan. The Heiwa Shuzō brewery has its own orchards and sticks to the principle of slow-brew. For this exquisite and full-taste umeshu, three times more plums have been used than usual in this recipe and the plums have been kept in the sake for 3 years, giving extra plum taste and aroma and making it extra sour or 'Suppai'. Cool it and enjoy it straight or on the rocks. After opening, store in a refrigerator and drink as soon as possible.

This Heiwa Shuzo Tsuru-ume Yuzushu is made with a one-year-old Junmai Sake and Yuzu juice, at a 1 : 1 ratio. This is higher than most Yuzushu produced elsewhere. The yuzu fruit is grown in Wakayama and is juiced with its peel, giving all the qualities of the fruit, sweet, sour & bitter. This example has a marvelous full aroma of fresh yuzu, with a zesty, citrus tart character and a fruit sweet and fresh finish. Store Yuzushu in a cool dark place, trying to avoid direct sunlight. Once opened the Heiwa 'Tsuru-ume Yuzushu' will last well for at least 8 - 10 weeks, ideally in a refrigerator.

Gekkeikan Traditional Sake is one of the world's most popular Junmai-shu! This sake embodied the signature Gekkeikan style, representing 14 generations and 370 years of sake brewing experience. It is herbaceous with hints of light earthiness and grapefruit. Mineral driver, good acidity and well-balanced, with a medium, clean finish.

Kitajima Sake Brewery was established in 1805 and is one of Japan's oldest and most respected sake breweries, situated in the beautiful Shiga Prefecture near lake Biwa. Their highly crafted range is unique and distinctive with a palate that is much richer and fruitier than the average sake. Named after the great Biwa Lake in the Shiga prefecture, the largest lake in Japan, The Whale of Biwa Lake Sake is made from Koji Rice and is polished at 70%, pasteurised and non-filtered. This Junmai sake is rich, fruity and delicious. The distinctive richness of raw koji-rice lingers on the palate and gives way to notes of plum, banana and pear.

With this Umeshu, very ripe (Kanjuku) Ume fruit is infused into Shochu which is produced from rice at the brewery. This Umeshu has a perfumed character on the nose with hints of rose petal, marzipan and apricot. It has a rich texture with cleansing acidity with great length.

In theory it is impossible to ferment whole brown rice unless it is sprouted [which is what used to be done in ancient times] however Genmai-zake [literally - brown rice sake] means that the husk of the rice has not been polished off. Rather, the rice husk is crushed to expose the inner part of the grain to allow fermentation, while leaving the rice completely unpolished. Genmai-zake needs twice as much rice than would usually be required to make the same quantity of sake made from polished rice. This style also requires extra attention with longer soaking and steaming times. Soaking for Genmai-zake takes around 14 hours, whereas soaking for white rice ranges from 1 minute for highly polished rice to around 1 hour for less polished. This long soak time is followed by a double steaming process. During the fermentation of the Genmaishu, Shiuchi-san has to implement complicated additions of kōji rice, steamed rice and water at very specific intervals of the ferment period to to achieve the exact result he wants in the finished sake. Kameman also needs to age the sake before it is at its optimum drinking condition. It is incredibly rare to see a sake made from brown rice, with only one other brewery in Japan making a genmai-zake. The Genmaishu displays a beautiful brown sugar and roasted cocoa bean nose with a lovely balanced sweetness on the palate with tastes of ‘Christmas cake’ dried fruit and spices. Kameman have achieved the perfect balance of sweet/savoury/dry to make this a well balanced sake with great palate weight. As this sake ages it develops into even richer, more complex flavours. This is an interesting sake to match with food as it can be paired with sweet dishes with pastry, nuts and honey or can be used to match with rich ingredients like foie gras.