Disseminating the appeal of Japanese sake.

Sugii Shuzo is a rare establishment that produces not only sake, but also shochu, mirin, and even vinegar. What’s more, about 90% of its sake is made using the traditional kimoto or yamahai method—and the brewery even makes bodaimoto. “I just thought it seemed interesting,” says President Kinnosuke Sugii. Yet in Shizuoka Prefecture, a renowned region for ginjo sake, that very individuality has become the brewery’s strength. Now, the foundations Kinnosuke built over the years are being further refined by his son, Kentaro, who is leading the brewery through a new phase of reform.