Mutsu Otokoyama Classic

Mutsu Otokoyama Classic (陸奥男山 Classic) is made with Hanafubuki (kōjimai, milled to 55%) and Masshigura (kakemai, milled to 60%) rice. It is a popular jizake, deeply embedded in the everyday life of Hachinohe, a historic fishing town in Aomori Prefecture. Brewed since the brewery's founding, it was formerly known under the names "Kinsen" (金撰) and "Ginsen" (銀撰), and has now been reintroduced as a unified expression under the "CLASSIC" label. The gentle aroma is reminiscent of ripe pears. The sake itself has a lively, refreshing character. On the palate, it boasts a soft yet structured balance of rice-driven umami and subtle sweetness, making it an ideal accompaniment to seafood. Chilled, at room temperature, or slightly warmed, it reveals a quiet depth and approachability that suits a variety of settings. Mutsu Otokoyama CLASSIC is not a flashy sake—it's one shaped by local tastes and traditions, quietly reliable, and perfectly at home in both daily dinners and relaxed conversations among friends.

Hachinohe Shuzō was founded in 1775 by Komai Shōzaburō (駒井庄三郎), who traced his roots to the Omi merchants from the area around Takashima City in the north-west of present-day Shiga Prefecture. Following the end of the Warring States period and the beginning of the Edo period , feudal lords from across the country began to focus on the development of their domains. The Omi merchants followed the call when they were invited to trade in northern castle towns. Komai Shōzaburō, the founder of Mutsu Hassen, was one of the merchants who came to the Tohoku region. He later entered the brewing business and moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, in the Meiji era . In the Taisho era (1912-1926), the brewery was established in its present location under the name Komai Sake Brewery.

Today, Shōzaburō VIII and his ninth-generation sons, Nobuyuki and Hideyuki, are taking on the challenge of producing safe, tasty sake that is environmentally friendly and healthy for the times, using only locally produced rice and yeast as Aomori Prefecture's local sake, and famous water from the Hachinohe and Kanizawa areas as the brewing water. The brewery's two brands are Mutsu Otokoyama (陸奥男山) and Mutsu Hassen (陸奥八仙). The origin of Mutsu Hassen lies in the Chinese legend of the Eight Drunken Hermits (陸奥八仙), which recounts various anecdotes about them and their unconventional ways of enjoying drinking. The name was chosen in the hope that the drinker would enjoy sake just like a drunken hermit.

Hachinohe Brewery has won numerous national and international sake awards, including the Kura Master, International Wine Challenge, U.S. National Sake Appraisal, Fine Sake Award, and Kan Sake Award, among others.