Kankoubai Sake Brewery
寒紅梅酒造
Tsu, Mie
The brewer of “Kankoubai” — named for the winter plum, the first flower to bloom among ten thousand.
| Founded | 1854 |
|---|---|
| Brands | Kankoubai |
| Toji | Akihiro Masuda |
| Website | Kankoubai Sake Brewery |
People
The brewer behind Kankoubai
Akihiro Masuda
Biography
Akihiro Masuda, Brewer
Kankoubai was long known for its plum liqueur, and the current brewer, Mr. Masuda, admits he once drank little of his own sake. That changed in 2010, when he took technical guidance from Keiichiro Katsuki, the former head brewer of Azumaichi who is revered as a teacher across the industry. Within a few years the brewery was placing at the national SAKE COMPETITION and pouring in JAL's international first-class lounges.
History
Founded in 1854, the brewery is located along the Ise-Betsu Kaido Road in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, which used to be frequented by travelers on their way to the Ise pilgrimage. As the name “Kankoubai” suggests, plum wine was the main product of the family. The current brewer, Mr. Masuda himself, said he never used to drink much of his own sake. However, in 2010, under the technical guidance of Keiichiro Katsuki, the former head brewer of “Azumaichi”, who is revered as a teacher by many sake breweries, the buds of sake blossomed at once.
It has become a top-ranked sake at the national SAKE COMPETITION and at Mie Prefecture's sake competition, and in March 2016 was on-list for JAL's international first-class lounges at Narita and Haneda. The brewery also invites Mie University students every year for an internship to experience sake brewing. New products incorporating their young sensibilities have been created, and the sake has now crossed oceans and is appreciated by overseas customers as well.
