Ishimoto Shuzo (石本酒造株式会社)
Ishimoto Shuzo is a brewery in Niigata Prefecture, founded in 1907, known for Koshino Kanbai. A prestigious Niigata brewery renowned for 'Koshino Kanbai' and for pioneering the crisp, dry 'tanrei karakuchi' style. KIKI lists 6 of its bottles.
AI-compiled from public information, not checked by the brewery.
Key facts
| Name | Ishimoto Shuzo (石本酒造株式会社) |
|---|---|
| Location | Niigata Prefecture |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Makes | Sake and Shochu |
| Website | koshinokanbai.co.jp |
What kind of brewery is it?
History
Founded in 1907 in Kameda-go, the brewery persisted in crafting clean, dry sake even during the postwar era of diluted sweet sake. In the 1960s, it achieved nationwide acclaim as a legendary brew, igniting Japan's craft sake boom. Today, it remains committed to using 100% designated sake rice across its entire lineup.
What makes it distinct
| Water | Brewed using exceptionally soft underground water from the Kameda-go area, discovered after drilling over 100 test wells. |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Exclusively uses designated sake-brewing rice across all grades, including top-tier Hyogo Yamada Nishiki and local Niigata Gohyakumangoku. |
| Style | A pioneer of Niigata's 'tanrei karakuchi' style, applying low-temperature ginjo brewing methods even to standard sake with a 58% polish ratio. |
| Master brewer | The head brewer (toji) is Shinichi Takeuchi. |
Visiting
Brewery tours, an on-site shop, and tasting bars are not open to the general public to maintain brewing and hygiene standards.
Bottles from this brewery
The KIKI app knows 20 bottles from this maker (6 on this site).
| Bottle | Type | Per 720 ml |
|---|---|---|
| Koshino Kanbai White Label Futsu-shu越乃寒梅 白ラベル | Futsushu | ¥880 |
| Koshino Kanbai Bessen Ginjo越乃寒梅 別撰 吟醸酒 | Ginjo | ¥1,200 |
| Koshino Kanbai Muku Junmai Daiginjo越乃寒梅 無垢 純米大吟醸 | Junmai Daiginjo | ¥2,640 |
| Koshino Kanbai Tokusen Special Ginjo越乃寒梅 特撰 吟醸酒 | Ginjo | ¥2,112 |
| Koshino Kanbai Sai Junmai Ginjo越乃寒梅 灑 純米吟醸 | Junmai Ginjo | ¥1,421 |
| Koshino Kanbai Kinmuku Junmai Daiginjo越乃寒梅 金無垢 純米大吟醸 | Junmai Daiginjo | ¥5,280 |