The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Kinryo
No.116 · Brewery Profile
Kinryo金陵 · Nishino Kinryo 西野金陵
Nishino Kinryo has supplied ceremonial sake to Kotohira Shrine — the famous ‘Konpira-san’ — since the Edo period, earning Kinryo its old nickname ‘Sanuki no Konpira-zake.’ The company’s roots reach back to 1658, with the Kinryo brewing license itself established in 1789; today it runs a museum and visitor center in Kotohira built around an 800-year-old camphor tree, alongside a lineup running from a long-selling daiginjo to modern junmai daiginjo.
Who makes Kinryo?
Nishino Kinryo, whose brewing license was established in 1789 (though the company’s roots reach back to 1658), based in Kotohira, Kagawa. It has supplied ceremonial sake to Kotohira Shrine — the famous “Konpira-san” — since the Edo period, earning Kinryo its old nickname “Sanuki no Konpira-zake.”
What does Kinryo taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Dry & Crisp. The Kirameki Junmai Daiginjo is explicitly called the flagship, with a “clean and refined dry character”; the long-selling Cho Kinryo Daiginjo, dating to around 1965, is fuller-bodied instead (rich 3/5, full 3/5).
Which bottle should you try first?
The Kirameki Junmai Daiginjo is explicitly the flagship junmai daiginjo, described as clean and refined with a dry character — the natural starting point.
How does Kinryo compare to other Kagawa breweries?
Gaijin is the only other Kagawa brewery in this index, tagged Rich & Umami and Acidity-driven. Kinryo sits at the more delicate, drier end of Kagawa’s range instead, tagged Elegant & Refined and Dry & Crisp.
Frequently asked questions
What does the nickname “Sanuki no Konpira-zake” mean for Kinryo?
It reflects the brewery’s long history supplying ceremonial sake to Kotohira Shrine (“Konpira-san”) since the Edo period.
When was the Kinryo brewing license established?
In 1789, though the company’s roots reach back to 1658.
Which Kinryo bottle is the flagship?
The Kirameki Junmai Daiginjo, described as a clean, refined expression with a dry character.
The bottles
Kirameki Junmai Daiginjo煌 純米大吟醸酒
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Flagship junmai daiginjo; clean and refined dry character.”
Cho Kinryo Daiginjo超金陵 大吟醸
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Long-selling line dating to around 1965; full-bodied style.”
Junmai Daiginjo Yamada Nishiki純米大吟醸 山田錦
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Made with Yamada Nishiki rice.”
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: nishino-kinryo.co.jp