Retsu (洌) is the prestige label launched in 2000 by Kojima Sohonten, a brewery founded in 1597 in Yonezawa, Yamagata, making it one of the oldest in the region. Where the brewery's flagship Toko brand leans toward approachable sweetness, Retsu is designed around restraint in aroma and a sharp, dry finish, with each batch rested for a full year at sub-zero temperatures to smooth its edges.
