REGION: Shizuoka

Owned and run by the Takada family since 1864, Hana no Mai sits in the foothills of Japan’s Southern Alps. It is named after the local ‘dance of the flowers’ to celebrate and bring an excellent harvest. Their house style reflects that image, with the sake mostly expressing itself as delicate, fresh and pretty.

Few breweries in Japan have as defined a sense of purpose as Isojiman Shuzo. Located in Yaizu, one of the largest fishing ports in the entire country, Isojiman makes sake with a strong sense of place, meant to both pair with and evoke the bounty of the ocean. They exclusively use an in-house yeast which produces the delicate aromas and definitive saline finish that defines their sake.