Hatsuyukihai, meaning a glass of the first snow, was trademarked in 1971 by Kyowa Shuzo Co., Ltd., a brewery in the pottery town of Tobe, Ehime Prefecture, formed when four brewers joined together after the war. The brewery is committed to small-batch sake for tasting rather than mass production, relying on traditional tank squeezing and bag squeezing methods finished entirely by hand. Its range spans daiginjo, ginjo, junmai, and nigorizake, all aimed at a deep, flavourful quality with solid drinking substance.
