Sake from Kagawa

What are Kagawa's climate and water like?

The Sanuki plain is mild and dry, with well-drained soil. Sheltered by the Shikoku mountains, it has a large day and night temperature gap, which helps rice ripen fully. For water, Kinryo uses a spring in Tadotsu that it describes as medium-soft, and Kawatsuru in Kannonji uses subsurface flow from the Saita River.

What are Ohseto and Sanuki Yoimai?

Sanuki began using Ohseto as sake rice in 1980. Sanuki Yoimai, the prefecture's first original sake rice, was bred from Ohseto, Yamada Nishiki and other rice by the Sake Brewers Cooperative, Kagawa University, the JA farm co-operative and the prefecture together. The first brews went on sale in spring 2007.

What does Kagawa sake taste like?

It varies by brewery. Kinryo describes its Ohseto sake as crisp and sharp with a mellow aroma. Kawatsuru describes its sake as rich, strong and fresh, and Maruo Honten as full and rich. The prefectural tourism site presents the Ayakiku and Kinryo "sake for udon" as clean in taste.

A short history of Kagawa sake

Kinryo in Kotohira began in 1789 when the family bought a sake licence. Since the Edo period it has been called "Sanuki no Konpira sake" and is offered at Kotohira Shrine. Ayakiku was founded in 1790, Maruo Honten in 1885 and Kawatsuru in 1891.

Where are the breweries?

The Kagawa Sake Brewers Association lists six members, in Kotohira, Kannonji, Ayagawa and Shodoshima. Ayagawa has Ayakiku and Yushin, and Kotohira has Kinryo and Maruo Honten. Morikuni on Shodoshima is the only brewery on the island, a new one that has revived local island sake.

Visiting and what to eat with it

Kinryo-no-Sato in Kotohira is a museum in a restored white-walled brewery from the company's early days, facing the shrine approach. It shows old tools and offers tasting, and entry is free. Check the official site for hours. For food, three breweries offer "sake for udon", made to go with the broth and wheat flavour of Sanuki udon.