The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Raifuku
No.104 · Brewery Profile
Raifuku来福 · Raifuku Shuzo 来福酒造
Raifuku Shuzo has brewed near the foot of Mt. Tsukuba since 1716, and today works with roughly ten different rice varieties and a menagerie of flower-derived yeasts — strawberry, carnation, cherry blossom among them. Its most extreme release, Choseimai, is milled down to just 8% of the original grain, placing it among the most highly polished sake made anywhere in Japan.
Who makes Raifuku?
Raifuku Shuzo has brewed near the foot of Mt. Tsukuba since 1716, and today works with roughly ten different rice varieties and a menagerie of flower-derived yeasts — strawberry, carnation, cherry blossom among them.
What does Raifuku taste like?
Tagged Aromatic & Fruity and Elegant & Refined, the entire range is kunshu (fragrant) in SSI terms. The Junmai Daiginjo Choseimai is milled down to just 8% of the original grain, among the most highly polished sake made anywhere in Japan; the Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki is a classic expression of that variety; the Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama is made with prized Aiyama rice, both reaching 4/5 on the aromatic scale alongside Choseimai.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Junmai Daiginjo Choseimai, the brewery’s most extreme release, milled to just 8% of the original grain.
How does Raifuku compare to other Ibaraki breweries?
Ibaraki’s only other brewery in this index, Sudo Honke, carries the identical tag pairing of Aromatic & Fruity and Elegant & Refined, making the two the prefecture’s shared fragrant, delicate style.
Frequently asked questions
How highly polished is the Junmai Daiginjo Choseimai?
It’s milled down to just 8% of the original grain, placing it among the most highly polished sake made anywhere in Japan.
What kinds of yeast does Raifuku use?
Flower-derived yeasts, including strawberry, carnation, and cherry blossom, alongside roughly ten different rice varieties.
How long has Raifuku Shuzo been brewing?
Since 1716, near the foot of Mt. Tsukuba.
The bottles
Junmai Daiginjo Choseimai純米大吟醸「超精米」
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Extremely highly polished, ultra-premium daiginjo.”
Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki純米吟醸「山田錦」
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Classic Yamada Nishiki junmai ginjo.”
Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama純米大吟醸「愛山」
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Made with prized Aiyama 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: raifuku.co.jp · urbansake.com