About the brewery: The Yamanashi Meijo brewery is located at the foot of the Japanese Alps, in the north of Yamanashi prefecture, on the island of Honshu. It was founded in 1750 by the descendant of a long line of brewers originally based in the Nagano region. Mr. Kitahara, then representing the seventh generation of this family, discovered water of exceptional quality in the heart of the Hakushu locality. He decided to set up his own brewery there. This pure water comes from the melting snow of Mount Kai Komagatake, whose summit rises to an altitude of over 2900m. It feeds the region's springs after being slowly filtered through the granite rock, loading itself with minerals essential to sake production.
Recognition came quickly, and Yamanashi Meijo's good name spread beyond the boundaries of the locality, to the point where it became a place of visit for Emperor Meiji, who stayed here on the occasion of his official visits. Since then, the majestic family home has been elevated to the status of a Japanese landmark. Today, sake-making is still a family affair, and the 13th generation pays particular attention to detail, including long, low-temperature fermentations, with the aim of preserving the signature character of Yamanashi Meijo sakes: sakes that are both delicate and rich, with the remarkable quality of the spring water intact.