Maboroshi

Nakao Sake Brewery was founded in 1871 in Takehara, a historic port town in Hiroshima Prefecture on the Seto Inland Sea, and is now one of only two breweries remaining in a city that once boasted 26. The Maboroshi brand was born from the fourth-generation owner's seven-year search through more than 2,000 yeast sources, culminating in the discovery of an apple yeast that won first prize at a national competition in 1948, though the sake did not reach commercial shelves until 1974 due to prohibitive tax conditions.