Tsunan Sake Brewery Wins Niigata Governor’s Award (1st Place) at the 2024-2025 Echigo-style Sake Brewing Technology Championship!
Tsunan Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Akinari, Tsunan Town, Nakauonuma District, Niigata Prefecture; President: Kengo Suzuki; hereafter “Tsunan Sake Brewery”) is proud to announce that it has won the Niigata Governor’s Award (1st Place) — the highest honor — at the 2024-2025 Echigo-style Sake Brewing Technology Championship, held from April 8 to 9, 2025.
This prestigious competition brought together 56 sake breweries from within and outside Niigata Prefecture, with 155 entries competing for sake quality. Among them, Tsunan, the sake submitted by Tsunan Sake Brewery, was highly praised for its refined flavor and advanced brewing technique, earning it the top prize.
https://www.niigata-sake.or.jp/news/9492/
Background of the Award
This award recognizes the culmination of Tsunan Sake Brewery’s accumulated brewing expertise, its full utilization of the region’s ideal natural environment for sake-making, and the persistent efforts of the brewing team, led by Master Brewer Masaya Takizawa, to pursue both reproducibility and innovation in the brewing process.
Since its establishment, Tsunan Sake Brewery has inherited the hands-on craftsmanship and sensory knowledge accumulated in the fermentation field. Following the transition to a new management team in 2023, the brewery has entered a new phase, integrating scientific approaches into its brewing practices. The pristine water from the snow-rich Tsunan region, the temperature variations between day and night, and the use of locally grown rice all contribute to the sake’s rich depth of flavor — a true expression of terroir.
While respecting traditional methods, the brewery also embraces data-driven selection of yeast and koji, visualization and standardization of fermentation conditions, and other reproducibility-enhancing efforts — all while continuing to challenge the boundaries of flavor using intuition and creativity.
Future Outlook
In celebration of this award, Tsunan Sake Brewery is considering the release of a limited-edition commemorative sake. This special brew will be prepared with gratitude toward the local community and sake enthusiasts nationwide who have supported the brewery.
Moving forward, Tsunan Sake Brewery will continue expanding both domestically and internationally, and is actively developing new types of sake and fermented foods rooted in fermentation science. This award will serve as a springboard for creating even greater value.
About the Competition
Name: 2024 Brewing Year Echigo-style Sake Brewing Technology Championship
Dates: April 8 (Tue) – April 9 (Wed), 2025
Organizers: Niigata Sake Brewers Association, Niigata Sake Brewing Technology Study Group
Supporters: Niigata Prefecture, Niigata Nippo, BSN Niigata Broadcasting System, among others
Judges: Director of Niigata Prefectural Brewing Laboratory, Chief Appraiser of the Kanto-Shinetsu National Tax Bureau, and 10 other experts
Note: The award ceremony is scheduled to be held on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at the Kashiwazaki City Industrial and Cultural Hall.
About Tsunan Sake Brewery
Tsunan Sake Brewery is a sake brewery located in Akinari, Tsunan Town, Nakauonuma District, Niigata Prefecture — an area known for its heavy snowfall. The brewery uses pure spring water from the surrounding 2,000-meter-high mountains as brewing water. It brews sake in harmony with nature using locally grown rice varieties such as “Gohyakumangoku” and “Uonuma Koshihikari.”
Under the brand concept “Brew for Future – Brewing a Coexistent Future,” the brewery launched a new chapter in 2023 by fusing traditional brewing with scientific innovation. The company aims to create new value and expand its presence internationally.
https://tsunan-sake.com
