The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Rokujuyoshu
No.44 · Brewery Profile
Rokujuyoshu六十餘洲 · Imazato Shuzo 今里酒造
Imazato Shuzo, founded around 1772 in Hasami, northeastern Nagasaki, brews in a cool, mild mountain climate. The name Rokujuyoshu refers to the roughly sixty old provinces of Japan; several brewery buildings are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
Who makes Rokujuyoshu?
Imazato Shuzo, founded around 1772 in Hasami, in the cool, mild mountain climate of northeastern Nagasaki. The name Rokujuyoshu refers to the roughly sixty old provinces of Japan, and several of the brewery’s buildings are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
What does Rokujuyoshu taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined, Rokujuyoshu’s two bottles are both award-winning Yamada Nishiki junmai: the Junmai Yamada Nishiki is an IWC bronze winner at a balanced 3/5 across the board, while the Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki, an IWC 2019 gold medalist, is more aromatic at 4/5 with a drier 2/5 rating.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki, the brewery’s IWC 2019 gold medal winner, before the bronze-winning Junmai Yamada Nishiki.
How does Rokujuyoshu compare to other Kyushu breweries?
Rokujuyoshu is the only Nagasaki brewery in this index, so the comparison widens to Kyushu. Its single Elegant & Refined tag matches Sentoku in Miyazaki and Niwa no Uguisu in Fukuoka exactly, while Nishinoseki in Oita carries the same tag alongside Aromatic & Fruity.
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Rokujuyoshu mean?
It refers to the roughly sixty old provinces of Japan.
Are any of Imazato Shuzo’s buildings historic?
Yes — several brewery buildings are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
How many bottles does Rokujuyoshu make on this page?
Two: Junmai Yamada Nishiki and Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki.
The bottles
Junmai Yamada Nishiki純米 山田錦
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“An IWC bronze-winning Yamada Nishiki junmai.”
Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki純米吟醸 山田錦
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“IWC 2019 gold medal.”
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: tanoshiiosake.jp · sakenowa.com