Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten from Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan

A sake brewery steeped in tradition, yet brewing sake that evolves with the times and the people who enjoy it.

Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten, makers of the award-winning 'Zaku' brand of sake, was founded in 1869 and is located in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan.

Suzuka is fortunate to be blessed with a natural environment ideal for sake brewing. Cool, clear water from the Suzuka Mountains springs forth into the vast Ise Plain, where rice of the highest quality grows. It is with this rice and water that Suzuka’s delicious sake has long been made. It is perhaps no coincidence that Japan’s most sacred shrine, Ise Jingu, lies in Mie Prefecture where sake has been long intertwined with Shinto rituals, both an inseparable part of daily life. Even today, those unchanged rituals are still performed at Ise Jingu, with sake fulfilling its role as a sacred drink of the gods. The brewery believes it is their destiny to brew good sake here.

The name ‘Zaku’ – from the character 作 meaning ‘make’ or ‘create’ – was chosen to convey the notion that the true value of sake does not merely lie in the product that the brewery makes. Rather, it lies also in the actions of all those who transport it, sell it, serve it, and ultimately those who enjoy it. While respecting the traditions of sake brewing — through the use of small fermentation vessels and an emphasis on work done by hand — this is a brewery that hopes that their sake will evolve with the everchanging times and with the diversity of people’s values, thoughts, and tastes. Whatever the present age brings, Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten wishes to brew a sake fitting for it.