Watanabe Sake Brewery Gifu is one of the leading artisanal breweries in Japan. Founded in 1850 in Hida Furukawa, the brewery has a long history and is nowadays not only known as part of the White Wall, the breweries in Hida with white walls located next to each other with a narrow canal behind them. Since their election of best brewery in 2021 and the international awards that followed, this brewery has been seen as one of the very best in Japan and beyond. Because Watanabe Sake Brewery is also increasingly focusing on the international market, their sake are now both Vegan and Kosher certified.
Although the brewery is best known for their high-quality Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Daiginjo sake, their high-quality Futsu-shu is striking. The brewery is also one of the few that allow private guests to enter the brewery for private tours. At the end, you even have the opportunity to write your name on one of the fermentation tanks.
If you've ever heard Wagyu cattle in Japan listening to classical music, being massaged and given beer to drink, Watanabe has the original version that is really true. In the room where the sake ferments, CDs with comedians are played non-stop and once a year there is even a live performance by a comedian in the special Moromi room.
All products we carry from Watanabe are among the best in their class, which is why we have chosen to offer a wide range of them.
Hourai Jousen is an award-winning sake and an exceptional futsushu. It displays an elegant, clean fruitiness reminiscent of higher-grade sake, supported by a rich, satisfying texture. Brewed from plump steamed rice polished to 70%, the palate is round with gentle acidity, a touch of sweetness and fine intensity. The aroma is fresh and clean, with notes of cedar and nutmeg, while the flavours bring citrus and floral apricot, finishing rounded and pure. Watanabe Hourai is based in central Japan in the charming town of Hida-Furukawa, Gifu Prefecture.
ANA First Class Junmai Ginjo or Kaden Tezukuri is normally served exclusively on ANA Airlines flights, but we are fortunate to have secured a limited quantity. This sake from Watanabe Hourai in Gifu is smooth and easy to drink, with a fruit-forward nose and a juicy character. Notes of apple, pear, melon, and white grapes appear in both aroma and flavour, supported by a clean, rounded, and dry profile, finishing with a crisp dryness. Watanabe Sake Brewery, founded in 1850 in Hida Furukawa, is among Japan’s leading artisanal breweries. It is part of the historic “White Wall” , where white-walled kura stand side by side along a narrow canal. Named Best Brewery in 2021 and honoured with multiple international awards, Watanabe has secured a reputation as one of Japan’s finest. With an increasing focus on international markets, its sake are now Vegan and Kosher certified.
Komachi Sakura from Watanabe Hourai (Gifu) presents subtle aromas of white flowers, white asparagus and fresh rock melon. The palate carries fruity Ume notes with a lingering crispy mineral aftertaste. Medium-bodied sake which can be served cold, room temperature and warm. Awards won in recent years; IWC 2022 Gold.
Hourai Jousen is an award-winning sake and an exceptional futsushu. It displays an elegant, clean fruitiness reminiscent of higher-grade sake, supported by a rich, satisfying texture. Brewed from plump steamed rice polished to 70%, the palate is round with gentle acidity, a touch of sweetness and fine intensity. The aroma is fresh and clean, with notes of cedar and nutmeg, while the flavours bring citrus and floral apricot, finishing rounded and pure. Watanabe Hourai is based in central Japan in the charming town of Hida-Furukawa, Gifu Prefecture.
Komachi Sakura Betsugakoi is an authentic sake brewed by skilled brewers who value the old-fashioned taste. The rice is 100% carefully selected from domestic sake brewery-friendly rice "Hida table rice", which has a solid production history. You can feel the richness served cold, warm the rich flavour spreads even more. The gentle and medium sweet taste is a traditional taste nurtured by Hida's extremely cold brewing. The judging panel of the International Wine Challenge (IWC), the world's largest and most authoritative sake and wine competition, was held in Yamagata Prefecture from May 13 to 16 2018r, and it was announced that Hourai Watanabe had won the Gold Award, Gifu Prefecture Trophy, and Great Value Sake in the ordinary sake category. This is the third consecutive year that the Gold Award has been awarded. "Komachi Sakurabetsu Enclosure" broke through the difficulty of 6% in the ordinary sake category and won the gold medal for the third consecutive year. In addition, it won the "Gifu Prefecture Trophy" and "Great Value Sake", which are given to particularly outstanding brands among the gold awards. IWC 2018 overcame the difficulty of winning 6% in the ordinary sake category, was selected as one of 97 brands, and won the gold award for the third consecutive year. In addition, it won the "Trophy" and "Great Value Sake", which are given to particularly outstanding brands among the gold awards. *"Great Value Sake" is an award that is selected from brands with a retail price of 1,000 yen or less in Japan and a production volume of more than 100,000 bottles equivalent to a 4-go bottle.
Hourai ANA First Class Junmai Ginjo also known as Kaden Tezukuri is normally served exclusively on ANA Airlines flights, but we are fortunate to have secured a limited quantity. This sake from Watanabe Hourai in Gifu is smooth and easy to drink, with a fruit-forward nose and a juicy character. Notes of apple, pear, melon, and white grapes appear in both aroma and flavour, supported by a clean, rounded, and dry profile, finishing with a crisp dryness. Watanabe Sake Brewery, founded in 1850 in Hida Furukawa, is among Japan’s leading artisanal breweries. It is part of the historic “White Wall” district, where white-walled kura stand side by side along a narrow canal. Named Best Brewery in 2021 and honoured with multiple international awards, Watanabe has secured a reputation as one of Japan’s finest. With an increasing focus on international markets, its sake are now Vegan and Kosher certified.
Hourai Gokuiden Junmai Daiginjo from Watanabe Gifu is one of the purest sake made in Japan. Each sip is a sensation that brings together a mere feeling of reverence for the craftsmanship and enjoyment of the glass. The sumptuous nose full of floral and fruit notes enraptures you after which the perfectly balanced pallet and endless finish makes this sake as perfect in every way. Chilled but not too cold in the Sophienwald sake glass or in a Burgundy wine glass, this sake comes into its own. Made for big sake lovers but also for anyone who likes beautiful complex gossamer pure wines, who is open to non-wood-aged and has the will to taste beyond acids that are less prominent in a lot of sake.
Hourai Hida Terroir is a rare very limited sake made with Hidaminori rice, an in 2005 extinct variety rice which was revived in 2017. Juicy full exotic fruits, complex, rich and very pure and clean with a superb long finish.Best served cold in a white wine glass The sake is made with "Hidaminori" rice from Hida city. It is an extinct variety that disappeared in 2005, but it was reprinted in 2017 with the cooperation of JA Minamiyoshijo Sake Rice Association and Yoshiro Iwatsuka, and since then the harvest has been gradually increasing every year. Currently Hourai Watanabe is the only brewery using this rice. The brown rice protein content is low, producing a light, refreshing, and crisp sake.
Hourai Super 18 Junmai Daiginjo is created from Yamada Nishiki rice of the highest grade, harvested in the Miki region of Hyogo Prefecture. The grains are polished to just 18%, leaving only the pure core shaped like a crystal sphere. With complete dedication, the mash is brewed and carefully pressed at low temperature using the traditional momen shibori method. The sake is pasteurised early in the bottle and preserved at zero degrees to maintain its finesse. Because of its fragile nature, it should always be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of six degrees or lower. Allow the sake to warm gently to around twelve degrees for ten minutes before drinking, and discover how its aromas and flavours transform as the temperature rises. Watanabe Sake Brewery in Gifu is the maker of this refined sake. Established in 1850 in Hida Furukawa, the brewery belongs to the historic White Wall district, where traditional breweries with white façades stand side by side along a narrow canal. Following the title of best brewery in 2021 and the many international awards that followed, Watanabe has been recognised as one of Japan’s finest. With a growing focus on the global market, their sake now carry both Vegan and Kosher certification.
Hourai Junmai Daiginjo Shinpaku 18 in a wooden box is not only an ultimate gift but also a sake that goes beyond the imagination of what a perfect brew can be. It is the flagship of Watanabe Gifu that received the title Japanese best Sake brewery in 2021. The basic is above special(Toku-jo) designated A rice Yamada-nishiki from Miki town in Hyogo, the place where you can find the best paddy fields from Japan. Both the Kake-mai and Koji-mai has been polished to just 18% is remaining which takes approximately 150 hours. Only the Kokokoro was shaved out and pure starch, the white Shinpaku heart, remains for brewing. To keep the freshness and increase the complexity the sake is stored at minus 10 degrees.In the nose you can find almost all fruity and floral flavours that exists, the layers on the palate makes this sake enormous complex. It is complete balanced, nothing is over the top and everything is soft and delicate. The private well Shimizu sourced from underground water in the Northern Alps Snow Valley gives it purity and makes the sake smooth and clean. The finish is endless and will leave you speechless.Best stored around 6 degrees Celsius, before opening let the sake breath and serve around 12 degrees Celsius. This sake is best served in the special Sophienwald Sakeglass.