The One and Only Craftsman Brewer

photo:Naoto Yoshida

There is one chief brewer who is responsible for the fate of “Gokeiji”. He is Kazuhiro Yanai,
who has been the chief brewer at Aoki Sake Brewery since 2013. Mr. Yanai is a "craftsman brewer" that is rare among small sake breweries these days.

Mr. Yanai started his career as a sake brewer in 1990. He devoted himself to brewery work at a local sake brewery in his hometown of Aizu and passed the Nanbu Toji certification test after 12 years. Since then, he has been leading his subordinate brewers as a chief brewer.

On the other hand, prior to hiring Mr. Yanai, our brewery was facing the problem of aging craftsmen. We met with several candidates in order to recruit a new chief brewer, and Mr. Yanai told us, “Sake brewed with laughter has the effect of healing and soothing. You won’t feel tired after drinking it, and its taste is absolutely good. I want to brew sake that brings a soft expression to the people who drink it”. His words immediately struck a chord with us. So we asked him to “do what he wanted to do” and entrusted him with the fate of our brewery. From this point on, our philosophies match perfectly, and a new history of “Gokeiji” began.

It is often said that “personality comes out in sake” and I believe this is definitely true.
In the mouth, it has a soft, heartwarming flavor with a clear aftertaste. Every year, Mr. Yanai puts his heart and soul into brewing “Gokeiji”, which involves both healing and laughter. Everyone at Aoki Sake Brewery is a fan of the sake brewed by Mr. Yanai and is proud of the love they put into brewing.

One of the roles of the brewery is to pass on the skills of Mr. Yanai.
Aoki Sake Brewery will continue to take challenges in the future and is committed to training young craftsmen to produce sake that will satisfy our customers.
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