Wine · Morioka, Iwate
Akabu Shuzou
A young team's Iwate sake, rebuilt in Morioka after the 2011 tsunami.
- Founded
- 1896
- Founded by
- Buhei Furudate
- Based in
- Morioka, Iwate
Making it since
1896
Their story
Akabu began in 1896 in Otsuchi, a fishing town on the Iwate coast, founded by Buhei Furudate and named for the Akahama district facing Otsuchi Bay. For generations its best-known sake was Hamamusume, sold mainly in Iwate.
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami destroyed the brewery and the family home. With help from a Morioka brewery that lent space, the family kept brewing, and in 2013 they opened a new brewery in Morioka. Most of the brewers there are new to sake and in their 20s and 30s.
Ryunosuke Furudate, son of the company's fifth president, Hidemine Furudate, studied brewing in Tokyo and became toji at 22. He created the AKABU label, which now makes up most of what the brewery sells and has won national awards.
How it's made
The brewery relies on Ginga rice for a clean profile and Giovanni no Chikara yeast, which gives an apple-like aroma. The Morioka brewery was built so machines handle heavy work and the team focuses on fine adjustments, with koji work now done in daytime shifts.
I cannot make sake by myself. What is important is teamwork.
Why we carry them
AKABU is a story of a family that refused to stop, and the sake is bright and clean. We think it is a great bottle for anyone starting to explore junmai ginjo.
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