Kanaya Shuzo· 金谷酒造店

Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture · Est. 1869

Nestled in the Kaga Plain at the foot of Mt. Hakusan, one of Japan's three sacred mountains, Kanaya Shuzo has been quietly brewing since 1869, drawing on the abundant groundwater that flows underground from the mountain through the Tedori River basin. This is famously pure, soft water, and the brewery's guiding philosophy is simple: sake is food culture, and everything they make should contribute to it.

They are a genuinely small kura, and they know it. Their range is focused and deliberate rather than expansive. From Kanaya we carry three things, each doing something different.

The Takasago Umeshu is made with Shirakaga plums, a local variety considered among Japan's finest, infused into sake and finished with real Kanazawa gold leaf, a nod to the region's centuries-old gold craft tradition. Rich with ripe stone fruit and banana aromas, sweet but anchored by clean acidity, it is one of the most indulgent bottles in our range.

Their koshu shows what patience does: aged over years in the brewery, it develops the amber warmth, caramel depth, and soft roundness that only time can produce. Approachable for newcomers to aged sake, and satisfying for those who already love it.

And then there is the cup sake, perhaps the most Japanese thing we sell. The single-serve cup format has deep roots in everyday Japanese drinking culture, the sake of train platforms, lunch breaks, and quiet evenings. Kanaya's version is honest, clean, and entirely unpretentious.