The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Ishizuchi
No.42 · Brewery Profile
Ishizuchi石鎚 · Ishizuchi Shuzo 石鎚酒造
Founded around 1920 by the Ochi family in Saijo, at the foot of Mt. Ishizuchi — the highest peak in western Japan — the brewery centres on junmai and junmai ginjo built for the table, aiming for sake that grows more enjoyable from the third cup onward.
Who makes Ishizuchi?
Ishizuchi Shuzo, founded around 1920 by the Ochi family in Saijo, Ehime, at the foot of Mt. Ishizuchi, the highest peak in western Japan. The brewery centers on junmai and junmai ginjo built for the table, aiming for sake that grows more enjoyable from the third cup onward.
What does Ishizuchi taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Rich & Umami, both Ishizuchi bottles rate a balanced 3/5 across dryness-richness, body, and acidity. The Junmai Doyozake is built for warm-weather food, while the single-rice Junmai Ginjo Asahi 55 is slightly more aromatic at 3/5, described as “balanced and clean.”
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Junmai Ginjo Asahi 55, a single-rice bottling described as “balanced and clean” — a more universal introduction than the Junmai Doyozake, which is built specifically for warm-weather food.
How does Ishizuchi compare to other Ehime breweries?
Ehime’s other listed brewery, Umenishiki, shares both of Ishizuchi’s tags, Elegant & Refined and Rich & Umami, making the two the closest stylistic match within Ehime’s entries in this index.
Frequently asked questions
When and by whom was Ishizuchi founded?
Around 1920, by the Ochi family.
Where is Ishizuchi Shuzo located?
In Saijo, Ehime, at the foot of Mt. Ishizuchi, the highest peak in western Japan.
How many bottles does Ishizuchi make on this page?
Two: Junmai Doyozake and Junmai Ginjo Asahi 55.
The bottles
Junmai Doyozake石鎚 純米 土用酒
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“A summer junmai built for warm-weather food.”
Junmai Ginjo Asahi 55石鎚 純米吟醸 朝日米55
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Single-rice junmai ginjo; balanced and clean.”
Reading the bars: an editorial flavor reading (0–5) of each bottle — Dry→Rich, Light→Full, Subtle→Aromatic, Low→High acidity — not laboratory values. The colored badge is the SSI four-type classification (薫酒 Kunshu · 爽酒 Soshu · 醇酒 Junshu · 熟酒 Jukushu). SMV and acidity appear only where the brewery publishes them.
Sources: ishizuchi.co.jp · sakenomy.jp