Japanese sake consists of about 80% water. The essence of its distinctive taste comes from the water. Shichiken, the only sake brewery in Hakushu town in Hokuto city, was established in 1750 (3-year Kan'en era ). The brewery was originally a branch of the head brewery in Nagano. After the 7th-generation head of the brewery got notice of the quality of the water in Hakushu, he established the branch brewery along the Koshu highway at Daigahara.
Currently under the directions of the 13th-generation director, the brewery combines tradition while also taking on new challenges, focusing mainly on Japanese sake and fermentation cultures. The fresh taste is inherent to the water of Hakushu. We visited the brewery attracted by the promise of rare Japanese sake.

"We look for how to express the characteristics of Hakushu water in the sake. Therefore, when making sake we try to bring out the maximum of this environment", says Mr. Ryogo Kitahara, in charge of the distillation of Shichiken, the only sake brewery in Hakushu, Hokuto city.
The almost 300-year history and tradition of the sake brewery are currently proudly being carried on together with his father, company president Hyogo Kitahara, and his elder brother, senior managing director, Tsuyoshi Kitahara.

Shichiken sake is made with underground water from the Minami Alps' Mt. Kai-Koma. The natural water is historically being drawn from a large well in the premises of the brewery.
As is the place where he was born and grew up, Mr. Ryogo has drunk this water since he was very young and therefore drinking this delicious water is most normal for him. However, he thoroughly came to understand the magnificence of the local water when he became more involved with the sake production. "In the past, I knew the taste of the water well, but it was difficult to understand how its characteristics would impact the sake. Now I understand this clearly and am proud we can make use of the water from Hakushu."

Sake brewing largely depends on the compatibility of water and yeast. You can feel the moisture, youthfulness, freshness, and lightness in your mouth. When you drink it, it will give a relaxed feeling and pass smoothly through your throat. It is because of the water from Hakushu that Shichiken's Japanese sake gets its true character.

While on one hand, the way of sake brewing has a long and unbroken, the current successor Mr. Kyogo had to face how sake brewing has traditionally been done. Now that we understand the characteristics of the water, we want to go forwards while interweaving tradition with our vision as a brewer.

"Japanese sake has to ferment for a certain time after it was squeezed to harmonize its taste. That is when it develops its flavor. Although rich mellow sake is delicious, my idea of how to use Hakushu's water was a little different. Therefore, instead of after the traditional way, I wanted to bottle the sake as soon as possible. This resulted in a fresh sake."

In the past, the sake was stored for one year and bottled just before shipping, however, we reduced the aging period to about three months to half a year. When asked, "What is the reason for so much focus on fresh sake?", Mr. Ryogo tells us the following.
"When asked, "What is the taste of Shichiken sake?", I wanted to clearly state, "this". " Until now there were several different flavors, which I think made it difficult to clearly define Shichiken when asked about it. The result was specializing the sake brewing process by utilizing the water of Hakushu.

Other than brewing, we are not bound by existing concepts but will continue to incorporate new sensations and ideas. "Over the last few years, we have gradually increased the use of local rice. Currently, a total of about 80% consists of rice grown in the Yamanashi prefecture. Of this, a total of about 50% comes from Hokuto city. To give more appeal to which rice we are using, we place flags in the rice fields to show its origin.
Other ideas include new labels and packages, a new section with a cafe, recommended beverages using koji (fermented rice residue), using wine glasses for tasting to better experience the aroma. We are now also selling a sparkling sake to use for toasts.

"First of all, we start with the things we can do first," laughs Mr. Ryogo. While preserving tradition, we want to merge the essence of a new era into every aspect, thus creating an environment that attracts a broad age group to Japanese sake. This is a long-term effort with our eyes on the future because we don't want it to be a one-off fashion or boom."
We are the only place in the world using Hakushu water from the Minami Alps system to make Japanese sake." While being open to new ideas, steadily making sake. Mr. Ryogo will continue to face the challenges highly motivated.