Sake brewery visit: Murashige brewery in Iwakuni Yamaguchi prefecture

There was an article written by Laura Toulman about her sake making experience years back here and we also had sake making experience in February 2023 – the posts about the experience on facebook can be found here on the event page and after the experience, some photos can be seen from here.

Again, we had an opportunity to visit Murashige Sake Brewery in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Little bit about the brewery:

Murashige Sake Brewery was founded in 1916 (Taisho 5).

It was originally a small sake brewery that made sake loved locally, but its commitment to quality and repeated challenges have led it to receive high praise both domestically and internationally.

Murashige Sake Brewery’s representative brand is “Kinkan Kuromatsu."

This is a classic brand that has been loved since the brewery’s founding, and is characterized by its refreshing taste and ease of drinking.

In recent years, as a new challenge, the brewery has also been working on sake with fruity aromas and modern flavors.

• Commitment to ingredients: The brewery places importance on making sake using local water and rice, and especially uses high-quality sake rice from Yamaguchi Prefecture.

• Fusion of tradition and innovation: The brewery balances traditional hand-made preparation with quality control using the latest technology.

• Connection with the local community: The brewery aims to contribute to the local community through sake brewing that reflects the local climate and culture.
Recently, they have been focusing on their brewery, with their “Eight Knot" sake, which uses Yamaguchi Prefecture’s revived yeast No. 8, winning an overseas award.

This time, Toji (head brewer) Mr. Kaneko showed us around.

Murashige Sake Brewery’s cedar ball is said to be the largest in Japan.

In the evening, we enjoyed drinking with Toji Kaneko at an izakaya in the town of Iwakuni that he recommended.
We had a great time and went to a craft beer shop for the after-party.

It was a fun time. Thanks to Mr. Kaneko for taking his time to be with us for a long time.