Midorikawa Shuzo has been brewing in the mountains of Niigata's former Koide area since its founding in 1884, drawing on water pumped from 50 meters underground and using the rare Hokuriku No. 12 sake rice, a variety now cultivated by only two breweries in Japan. The label has no official website and sells exclusively through a select network of trusted retailers, making Midorikawa one of the hardest-to-find sakes in the prefecture. Brewed with the philosophy that the sake should effortlessly accompany food without asserting itself, Midorikawa pursues a restrained, clean finish described as an invitation to pour another cup.
