The Kokuryu Brewery
Among the soft-water breweries of Japan Kokuryu is perhaps the most famous. Its water is drawn from the subterranean flow of Kuzuryugawa (Nine-Headed Dragon River), famed since ancient times for its delicious taste. Kokuryu's founder, Nizaemon Ishidaya, built the original brewery in 1804 in the vicinity of Eihei-ji, the main temple of the Soto Zen sect. Nizaemon's descendants have been making sake there ever since. Kokukryu labels resound with deep flavour, but what makes them unique is their overall finesse.