Miyashita Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

About the distillery

Miyashita Sake Brewery is located in Okayama and is both a sake brewery, a beer producer, a shochu house, a liqueur producer, and a whisky producer. That makes the site unusually broad in its approach, but also easy to decode: here, Japanese raw materials, locally sourced water, and a strong brewing tradition are used. For whisky lovers, it is especially interesting that production was started in 2011 and, since then, was to be expanded with German pot stills.

History

Miyashita Sake Brewery was founded by the brothers Kamezo and Motosaburo Miyashita, both of whom came from the Akaiwa area. They grew up with brewing experience in the family and began brewing again in Tamano in 1915, after Uno Ports dock workers created new opportunities in the area. Later, the brewery was moved to its present location in 1967, close to the Asahigawa River, where underground water from the riverbed became a central part of production. Since 1974, the representative sake Hijiri has been brewed as a dry expression, and in 1995 Doppo was launched as the company’s craft beer initiative. Whisky came to the lineup at the end of 2011, and in 2015 there were plans to expand production with German pot stills and present a 3-year-aged whisky by the end of the year.

Raw materials and production

The company’s production is based on local raw materials and a craft-oriented approach. In sake production, Omachi rice is used as the main reference, along with Yamada Nishiki, Asahi rice, and Akebono. Particular emphasis is placed on Takashima Omachi rice, which is grown near the brewery. The water comes from underground layers 80 to 100 meters beneath the Asahi River bed and is described as soft and suitable for sake. For the finest sake qualities, koji buta is handled manually, and the traditional process of tsuki-haze koji is highlighted for its strong saccharification power. Fermentation takes place slowly at low and carefully controlled temperatures. For certain types of sake, bottles are filled without pressing, where the liquid drips from the sakabukuro into small To-bin bottles. Beer is brewed as live-yeast beer with malt, hops, and yeast from Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as Omachi rice from Okayama, while the whisky production was later to be expanded with German pot stills.

Maturation and cask types

The clearest storage information in the material relates to Beer Spirits, which is aged in barrels for 10 years and develops a rich aroma and a mild taste. For whisky, the planned use of German pot stills is mentioned, but not the specific casks or an actual aging profile. This gives the impression of a house where experiments and aging work are part of a broader portfolio, but where the detailed whisky information is still sparse in the provided text.

Whiskies

The portfolio ranges from sake and craft beer to shochu, liqueurs, spirits, and whisky. For whisky, only that production began in 2011 and that it was to be expanded in 2015 is stated, so the assortment must be understood as very limited in the documented text. The rest of the portfolio, however, shows that the company works in several styles at once: classic sake with different rice types and brewing techniques, Doppo beer in both traditional and fruit-based versions, as well as shochu and flavored liqueurs. It is a house built on variation, but with sake as the historical core.

General taste profile

Visit the distillery

The brewery has a public contact address in Naka-ku in Okayama, and the site also features a shop-oriented webshop with payment, delivery, and customer service. Opening hours are stated as Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:00, while orders can be placed around the clock. The material does not describe actual tours or tastings, so the visitor’s focus is primarily on the shop and the contact option at the address in Okayama.

The stated opening hours are Shop and contact information indicates opening time Monday to Friday 9:00–17:00. Orders are received around the clock.
See times and book a visit.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

Miyashita Sake Brewery formulates its philosophy as a determination to never stop challenging itself. The work should be carried out in small, persistent steps, and the ordinary should be done so thoroughly that it becomes extraordinary. At the same time, a principle is emphasized of putting service before profit and thinking globally, but acting locally. The goal is to convey sake culture and local history through brewing and, at the same time, to contribute to both the local community, employees, and the company’s growth.

Prices and awards

• Gold Prize (2011, Won, Daiginjo Kiwami Hijiri)

• Gold Prize (2012, Won, Daiginjo Kiwami Hijiri)

• Gold Prize (2013, Won, Daiginjo Kiwami Hijiri)

• Gold Prize (2014, Won, Daiginjo Kiwami Hijiri)