Setchuubai, meaning plum blossom in the snow, is brewed by Maruyama Sake Brewery in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, a company founded in 1897 that traces its origins to a family koji-making business. The brand name was personally chosen by the fourth-generation owner Saburou Maruyama, who intended Setchuubai to be a light, subtly sweet sake designed for the local farmers of the region, affordable and restorative without excess. The brewery uses ultra-soft well water from nearby springs, and in 2020 its Snow Chamber Aged Junmai Sake won gold at the Feminalise World Wine Competition.
