Milan Sake Challenge after one year of brewing revival! Winner of Platinum and Silver awards! Miracle Sake Brewery Revival Project is now underway!

Se Ureshinoichi Shuzo, a long-established sake brewery located in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, has announced that "Junmai-shu Se Ureshinoichi" won the Premium Award in the Junmai-shu category at the "Milan Sake Challenge 2024" held in Milan, Italy, and "Sparkling Se Ureshinoichi" won the Silver Award. We are pleased to announce that "Junmai-Shu Se Ureshi-No-Ichi" won the Premium Award in the Junmai-Shu category and "Sparkling Se Ureshi-No-Ichi" won the Silver Award.

We are all surprised and happy to receive these awards less than a year after the revival of sake production after 41 years (October 2023), and we will put more and more effort into sake production in the future. In the future, we at the Se-Ureshi-No-Ichi Brewery will continue to make a strong commitment to the revival of local sake through sake production.

Staff members of Se Ureshi-No-Ichi Sake Brewery

What is Milan Sake Challenge?

https://milanosakechallenge.com/

MILANO SAKE CHALLENGE is a sake competition held in Milan, Italy since 2019. The purpose is twofold: one is to promote the possibilities and attractions of pairing sake with Italian cuisine, and the other is to let Italians, who have become increasingly aware of sake and other Japanese alcoholic beverages over the past few years, learn about the diversity and depth of sake and the Japanese culture and customs associated with sake.

The sake tasting judging is conducted by an Italian sake sommelier, the food pairing judging is conducted by a chef and special ingredient partner, and the design judging is conducted by a renowned designer.

Award-winning Sake

Milan Sake Challenge 2024

Platinum Award: Special Junmai Sake Se-Ureshi-No-Ichi (and San Daniele Cured Ham Special Award in the Sneh category)

Junmai-shu Se Ureshi-no-ichi is an orthodox Junmai-shu under the Se Ureshi-no-ichi brand. It is designed to go well with food. The sake rice used is Gohyakumangoku, which is produced by a specially contracted farmer. The sake is characterized by its clean and easy-drinking but aromatic taste.

Product name ：Special Junmai Sake Sehrei-no-ichi

Sake rice ：Gohyakumangoku

Rice polishing ratio ：60

Yeast ：Yuko no Soukou

Malted Rice ：Reimei Hiraizumi

Alcohol content : More than 15 degrees centigrade, less than 16 degrees centigrade

Sake degree : +1

Price ： 720ml 2,000 yen (tax included)

Silver Award Sparkling Sehrei-No-Ichi

This sparkling sake is brewed using a revolutionary method in the sake industry of secondary fermentation in tanks (utilizing beer brewing technology and facilities).

Product name: Sparkling Se-Ureshi-no-Ichi

Sake rice ：Iwatekko (Iwate Prefecture)

Rice polishing ratio: 60

Yeast ：Yuko no Soui

Malted Rice type : Reimei Hiraizumi

Alcohol : Over 13 degrees centigrade, under 14 degrees centigrade

Sake Degree : -9

Price ： 720ml 2,200 yen (tax included)

Characteristics of the revived Se-Uchino-ichi Shuzo brewery

In 1982, after the sudden death of Tadashi Sato, the second generation of the brewery, Se Ureshino Ichi Shuzo faced a crisis of bankruptcy, and the third generation of the brewery switched sake brewing to cooperative brewing (having other companies produce sake) to keep the company alive. In November 2022, a sake factory was established on the premises, brewing resumed, and in October 2023, the company began selling sake brewed in-house for the first time in 41 years.

Fourth generation brewer Wataru Sato was originally a craft beer brewer, so the sake factory is a hybrid factory that combines the best parts of sake brewing with the best parts of beer brewing equipment. This allows us to control temperature, oxygen, pressure, etc., so that we can brew hygienic and new brews 365 days a year.

In particular, new sparkling sake can be brewed because sparkling sake can be second fermented in tanks, filtered, and bottled.

Currently, the fourth generation is the toji (master brewer) and brews as a one-man brewery. When there is a shortage of staff, the staff of the beer department and the office staff come to help out.

One-man brewing (from Instagram video)

https://www.instagram.com/sekinoichiiwatekurabeer/reels/

Sake Brand of Se Ureshi-No-Ichi Sake Brewery

The Se Ureshino Ichi Sake Brewery has two brands of sake.

The first is the Se Ureshi-No-Ichi brand of sake. We will rebrand the current Se Ureshi-no-Ichi and aim to brew higher quality sake. As the name of the company suggests, we intend to develop it into a brand that will be exported not only domestically but also overseas. We are also paying the latest attention to brewing in order to make it a brand that local people can be proud of to the world.

The second is "Yokoya," a sake named after our company's trade name.

We want the sake to be consumed mainly within the local community, so we will only deal with local sake retailers (within Iwate Prefecture) and will offer it at a reasonable price. Although reasonably priced, the sake is brewed at the same level as daiginjo, and is of high quality.

Company profile of Se-Uchino-Ichi Shuzo

Company name: Se-Uchino-Ichi Shuzo Co.

Representative: Wataru Sato, President and Representative Director

Location: 5-42 Tamura-cho, Ichinoseki, Iwate 021-0885

URL: http://www.sekinoichi.co.jp/

Number of employees: 17

A long-established sake brewery founded in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture in 1918.

The company was named "Se-joy-no-ichi" (meaning "the best sake brewer") when His Imperial Highness Prince Kanyin visited our company and told us to make the best sake that would make people happy in the world.

In 1982, the company's then president passed away suddenly, and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. The company then turned the vacant brewery into a restaurant serving local cuisine, a sake ethnic culture museum, and a direct sales shop, and the business continued to operate.

In 1995, the former rice brewery was renovated and the beer business was launched under the brand "Iwate Kura Beer. Its quality has been recognized worldwide, winning numerous awards at the World Beer Cup and World Beer Awards. Currently, the beer is in demand not only from beer bars in Japan, but also from around the world (the U.S., Singapore, Taiwan).

In 2022, the company decided to manufacture its own sake with the Corona Disaster, and in November of the same year, a sake factory was established in a renovated warehouse on the premises.

In October 2023, the company began selling sake produced in-house for the first time in 41 years. Currently, the president brews as the sole toji and brewer.

The brewery suffered tremendous damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake, including the collapse of the brewery and economic damage from Corona, but with the support of many people, the brewery was later restored and is still in business today.