Rokka Shuzo was formed in 1972 through the merger of three historic Hirosaki breweries, taking its name from the Japanese word for snowflake as a tribute to the cold Tsugaru climate of Aomori Prefecture. The brewery draws on underground water from the Shirakami mountain range, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and uses rice grown in Aomori to produce its range of sake. Its most iconic brand, Joppari, meaning stubborn person in Tsugaru dialect, was born from a deliberate refusal to follow the thick, sweet sake trends of the 1960s Tohoku region.
