Kinokawa (株式会社杵の川)
Kinokawa is a brewery, founded in 1839. A brewery in Isahaya, Nagasaki, making Kinokawa sake. It brews food-friendly sake, mainly junmai, using Kumamoto yeast and local ingredients.
- Makes
- Sake
- Japan Sake Awards
- 2 golds
Where to buy
What kind of brewery is it?
The brewery began in 1839 as Chōjiya Brewery in Higashisonogi, Nagasaki. Kuroshima-style history aside, the Meirei brewery was founded in Isahaya in 1908. In 1980, four breweries from Nagasaki and Saga merged or transferred their business rights to form a new company, and the Kinokawa brand was created in 1981. The head office moved to Isahaya in 2001, and in 2010 the company restarted as Kabushiki-gaisha Kinokawa. Today the brewery in Isahaya uses contract-grown rice and soft groundwater from the Tara mountain range, with Kumamoto yeast, to make sake for meals.
What makes it distinct
- Water
- The groundwater at Hajino-o in Isahaya is soft water from the Tara mountain range, which supports the gentle taste suited to meals.
- Ingredients
- The sake rice, including Yamada Nishiki, is mainly contract-grown with farmers in Isahaya.
- Yeast
- The brewery uses Kumamoto yeast and local ingredients and brews carefully.
- Style
- The sake is made as a food-pairing sake, to be enjoyed with meals.
Visiting
- Tours
- Shop
- Tasting & food
Factory tours are available by phone reservation, but visitors cannot enter the brewery building. The head office store Kinokawa Yoka Yoka is open 10:00 to 17:00. The sake bar Kakuuchi Yahachi next to the store is open 12:00 to 17:00 by reservation, for one group per hour, and is not served to people driving.
Compiled with AI from public pages, mainly the brewery’s own site (not yet checked by the brewery)Sources: kinokawa.co.jp
Japan Sake Awards
A prize-winner in 6 of the 9 contests from brewing year 2017 to 2025, with a gold prize in 2.
- Gold prize純米大吟醸丁子屋PDF
- Prize (nyusho)杵の川 大吟醸雫しぼりPDF
- Gold prize杵の川 大吟醸雫しぼりPDF
- Prize (nyusho)杵の川 大吟醸雫しぼりPDF
- Prize (nyusho)杵の川 大吟醸しずく搾りPDF
- Prize (nyusho)杵の川 美祿天PDF
Source: the prize lists of the Japan Sake Awards (National Research Institute of Brewing and Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association).