Fukucho 3 Items Follow

The brewery was founded in the first year of the Meiji Restoration, 1868, in Akitsu in Hiroshima Prefecture. Akitsu has the oldest sake-brewing history in Hiroshima, stretching back 400 years. Akitsu, which faces the Inland Sea and has a population of about 13,000 people, once had 17 sake breweries, but now there are only three. Hiroshima, however, is still one of the most significant sake-brewing regions in Japan, and is consistently among the top six prefectures nationwide in terms of annual sake production. Historically, the prefecture has always won many awards for its sake, and on occasion has even swept the top three awards in the country. The sake they brew here at Imada Shuzo, called Fukucho, is very representative of this great Hiroshima style.

The Sake

In general Fukucho sake is soft, clean and smooth, with a solid, lively fragrance. It is also a tad on the drier side. A full 60% of what they make is ginjo-shu; few places can say that. One major factor contributing to the taste and feel of the sake is the water. Water in this region in very, very soft in comparison to most sake-brewing regions in Japan. It melts and absorbs into the palate, taking flavor and fragrance with it, in a very unique way.