Endo Shuzojo, founded in 1864 in Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture, began as the official supplier of sake to the former Suzaka domain. The Keiryu brand, launched in 1988 when the sixth-generation head took over at age twenty-one with just three employees, is named after the mountain streams flowing through the Shinshu highlands. Keiryu's brewing water comes from the snowmelt of Mount Nekko at a hardness of just 18, and its Daiginjo has taken gold at both the National New Sake Competition and the International Wine Challenge.
