Aizawa-toji at the Tochigi event

I met Aizawa-toji last year and I was really impressed by her as a brewer with solid dedication to her own sake. As she put it, “I do not want to be called onna-no-ko and I have to prove it.” Her brewing style is very sturdy. Her sake has lots of umami, good balance of acidity, and to me, her sake feels very sincere.

As one of the three daughters in the household, she returned home to the family business in 1995 after her father passed away. Choosing to take on the job of master brewer in 2002 was a big step, but she has proven that it was the right one.

This week, at Tochigi New Sake Exhibition 2009, I was happy to see Aizawa-toji’s Kyokujo brewed so nicely again this year. I think this junmai daiginjo is what Ai-no-sawa is all about. Its reserved elegant aroma projects a very gentle, graceful personality. But, there’s nothing fluffy or girly about her brew, it is just “Aizawa-toji’s own style”.

Ganbatte, Shoko-chan!

Ai-no-sawa Web (Japanese)

Kyokujo junmai daiginjo, Ai-no-sawa