KATO Shuzoten

Since 1915, on Sado Island, the Kato family has been brewing sakés under the brand KINTSURU 金鶴 (Gold Crane).

Kintsuru Antique Sake bottle, vintage japanese sake bottle, jarre à saké antique Kintsuru, ile de Sado, Sado island, Monsieur Saké, Kato Shuzo, Niigata

In search of a better source of water, in 1991, Mr. Kato bought the establishment of the Yukoma brewery, closed because there were no successors and located in the Kanai region.

fabrication du saké, sake making, Monsieur Saké, Kintsuru, nettoyage du riz, rice cleaning, Kato Shuzo, Sado island, Ile de Sado, Niigata

In 1993, he transferred his brewing activities in Kanai to take advantage of the pure and extraordinarily soft water there. With a hardness index of just 1.8° dH or around 32 ppm, the water from Kanai's underground spring is even softer than most Niigata waters.
Since then, the particular character of the sakes of the Kato Shuzo has been developed around this water.

The kurabito, craftsmen of the brewery, studied their techniques at the famous saké school in Niigata 新潟清酒学校.

They only use rice grown on the island, favouring Gohyakumangoku and Koshitanrei cultivars adapted to the hostile environment of Sado and promoting a more natural crop without pesticides to protect its unique biodiversity.

Kojimuro, koji, kojimai, fabrication du saké, Kintsuru, Ile de Sado, Monsieur Saké, importation privée, Kato Shuzo, Sado island, Niigata

Sakamai, rizière, riz, ile de Sado, Niigata, Kintsuru, Kato Shuzo, Sado island

Mr. Kato's ambition is not to gain popularity through advertising or to grow business through mass production. For him, the soul and passion of the kurabito must be invested in the development of authentic Sado sakés, to concoct, in collaboration with his neighbouring farmers, sakés that embody the culture of the island, in other words, its terroir.

Kojimai, koji, Kintsuru, Kato Shuzo, Sado island, Ile de Sado, Niigata, Monsieur Saké, importation privée de saké.

Seventy percent of their saké is consumed in Sado, the rest is sold primarily in Niigata Prefecture.
The KINTSURU brand (金鶴, Gold Crane), favoured among islanders, remains a little-known gem outside Sado.

Kintsuru Daiginjo, Grue d'or, Daiginjo Kintsuru, 金鶴, Sado island, Ile de Sado, Niigata, Japon, Japan, sake bottle

The Kintsuru Daiginjo brings together the best of Sado water, nature and people.

Thanks to Monsieur Saké, the rare Kintsuru Daiginjo comes out of Japan for the first time and is now offered in Quebec.