Maruyama Brewing, founded in 1897 in Joetsu City, Niigata, produces Secchubai, a name meaning plum blossom in the snow that captures the brewery's philosophy of bringing comfort through the coldest seasons. Unlike most Niigata sake, which follows a light and dry regional style, Secchubai deliberately maintains a full-bodied, slightly sweet character, with all koji prepared entirely by hand using traditional lid-koji or box-koji methods. Soft well water drawn from the surrounding hills, nurtured by snowfall exceeding one meter each winter, gives the sake its characteristic gentle texture.
