Takanoi Shuzo is based in Ojiya, a heavy-snowfall region of Niigata Prefecture, and its Hatsuume brand sits within a portfolio built on a philosophy of crafting sake to accompany moments of joy. The brewery is credited as the first in Japan to commercially store sake in snow, keeping it buried under five meters of packed snow for roughly 100 days at near-zero temperatures to develop a mellow, subtly amber character. Premium Koshitanrei rice grown under contract in the Ojiya-Uonuma area is central to the flagship Denyuu line.
