Asahi-Shuzo Sake Brewing, founded in 1830 in the rural Asahi district of Nagaoka, Niigata, built Esshu as a brand looking toward the next generation of sake, blending the soft, dry character of Niigata brewing with a gentle, rounded fullness derived from the heirloom sake rice Chikara-raku. The label's washi paper actually contains strands of Chikara-raku straw, tying each bottle back to the paddies where the rice was grown. Alongside the brewery's flagship Kubota, Esshu represents Asahi-Shuzo's commitment to terroir-driven sake rooted in Nagaoka's snowmelt-fed groundwater and locally farmed rice.
