The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Kubota
No.02 · Brewery Profile
Kubota久保田 · Asahi Shuzo 朝日酒造
Launched in 1985 as Asahi Shuzo’s modern flagship, Kubota came to define Niigata’s tanrei karakuchi ideal — light, crisp and dry. Built around locally grown Gohyakumangoku rice and the region’s soft snowmelt water, it remains one of Japan’s most recognized premium labels.
Who makes Kubota?
Asahi Shuzo, founded in 1830 in Niigata. Launched in 1985 as the brewery’s modern flagship line, Kubota came to define the region’s tanrei karakuchi ideal — light, crisp, dry sake built around locally grown Gohyakumangoku rice and Niigata’s soft snowmelt water.
What does Kubota taste like?
Tagged Dry & Crisp across the board, all three bottles use Gohyakumangoku rice and score low on the rich and full axes. The flagship Manju Junmai Daiginjo is mellow and elegant with a faint dryness, Senju sharpens into a crisper ginjo aroma, and the everyday Hyakuju Tokubetsu Honjozo is the lightest and driest of the three.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with Manju, explicitly called the flagship — a mellow, elegant, faintly dry Junmai Daiginjo milled to 50%.
How does Kubota compare to other Niigata breweries?
Kubota shares its prefecture’s signature Dry & Crisp tag with Hakkaisan and Kirinzan, but Niigata also holds richer styles: Kikusui is tagged Rich & Umami, and Imayotsukasa and Kakurei both pair Elegant & Refined with Rich & Umami rather than Kubota’s straightforward crispness.
Frequently asked questions
How many bottles does Kubota make on this page?
Three — Manju (Junmai Daiginjo), Senju (Ginjo), and Hyakuju (Tokubetsu Honjozo), all milled from Gohyakumangoku rice.
When was Kubota founded?
The Kubota brand launched in 1985 as the modern flagship of Asahi Shuzo, a brewery founded in 1830.
What rice is used across the Kubota line?
All three bottles — Manju, Senju, and Hyakuju — are made with locally grown Gohyakumangoku rice.
The bottles
Manju萬寿
爽酒 Soshu · Light & Smooth“Flagship; mellow, elegant, faintly dry.”
Senju千寿
爽酒 Soshu · Light & Smooth“Crisp, dry, with a clean ginjo aroma.”
Hyakuju百寿
爽酒 Soshu · Light & Smooth“Light, dry, easy everyday drinking.”
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: asahi-shuzo.co.jp