Dewazakura Ginjō Tezukuri

Dewazakura Ginjō Tezukuri (出羽桜 吟醸酒 手造り) is the brewery's classic sake launched in 1980. It ushered ushering in the ginjō boom and has been popular ever since. Its fruity ginjō aroma and refreshing taste have been used as a Max Factor cosmetics SK-II fragrance sample. Moreover, it was the first sake handled by BB&R, the UK's oldest wine merchant and royal purveyor.

Awards:

• 2016 International Wine Challenge Trophy
• 2015 International Wine Challenge Yamagata Trophy
• 2015 National Sake Competition of America Runner-up Grand Prix
• 2014 National Sake Competition Grand Prix
• 2005 Top ranking of most popular brands of local sake in Japan for 12 consecutive years

Dewazakura Sake Brewery was founded in 1892 by Nakano Seijiro, who belonged to the head family that owned Kuma Masamune Brewery. During the Showa period, there were three Nakano family breweries. Dewazakura Brewery is situated in Tendō, Yamagata Prefecture, a small town with a population of 60,000 residents located 300 kilometres north of Tōkyō. Tendō is surrounded by high mountains and situated in the Yamagata Basin, experiencing hot summers that can often exceed 35°C and considerable snowfall during winter, often exceeding one meter in depth. These natural features, including the climate, have made the region a significant production centre of the rice, fruits, and other products, using which Dewazakura Brewery has been making sake by hand, utilizing small tanks that allow for precision temperature control, enabling them to brew high-quality sake in small quantities.

Dewazakura began to market ginjō, named Oka Ginjō, in 1980, the first attempt of its kind for sake breweries. Ginjō was mainly made for completion back then, and the word "ginjō" was rarely known, with only those involved in sake brewing being familiar with the term. Dewazakura decided to sell ginjō reasonably, and Oka Ginjō was well received, triggering the so-called "Ginjō boom."

In 2008, Oka Ginjō topped the Ginjō category list for twelve consecutive years in Jizake Ninki Meigara Ranking, an authoritative guidebook on the most popular local sake published by Fullnet Corp. In 2011, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Britain's oldest wine merchant and a supplier of wine to the British Royal Family, started to handle Oka Ginjō as the first Japanese sake in its lineup, making ginjō available to customers all over the world. The rich scent of Oka Ginjō even attracted the attention of the cosmetics industry. Oka Ginjō played a role in developing the smell of a new product of SK-II, a cosmetic brand belonging to P&G Max Factor.

Dewazakura Brewery started exporting sake in 1997 and now exports to over 30 countries.