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Usui Shoten Brewery Company (Nagano)
Nagano
Hakubanishiki Brewery was founded in 1906 in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, nestled at an elevation of over 700 meters at the foot of the Northern Japan Alps. The brand name Hakuba Nishiki, meaning "Hakuba Brocade," was chosen by the second-generation owner in honor of the majestic Hakuba Sanzan mountain range that towers over the region.
The brewery's guiding philosophy is "living with the mountains and the water." Its brewing water is drawn from an exceptionally soft underground source known as Onna Mizu ("woman's water"), fed by the Iyari Wetlands on Omachi's eastern edge. Since 2017, every grain of rice used in brewing has been contract-grown in the Shinano-Omachi area, making the brewery a true expression of local terroir.
Guided by the motto "change what must be changed; preserve what must not," Hakuba Nishiki aims to craft sake that is neither too sweet nor too dry — simply a balanced, satisfying drink that never tires the palate. Under the leadership of fourth-generation president Tomonosuke Usui and a young team of brewers, the brewery continues to honor over a century of tradition while pushing into new territory. Every bottle carries the crisp, crystalline character of Alpine snowmelt — a taste of the Northern Alps in a glass.
