Yokobue

Ito Shuzo in Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture brews Yokobue in the shadow of the Kirigamine highlands, using soft subterranean water fed by the plateau's springs. The brand name honors Yokobue, a lady-in-waiting in The Tale of the Heike whose tragic love story moved the brewery's founder so deeply that he vowed to preserve her name through his sake. Long-grain Shinshu rice varieties and an emphasis on handcraft quantities define the house style, producing a sake that the brewery describes as suited to the full range of serving temperatures.