For decades, a single hired brewmaster ran the brewing at Tohei Brewing Company, staying on well into his 80s. When he could no longer continue, Junzo Tohei — the youngest of three brothers — spent three years training under him before taking over the brewing alongside his older brother Norihisa when Junzo was 30. Today the eldest, Kazuya, oversees administration; the middle brother, Norihisa, leads the brewing day to day alongside Junzo; and Junzo, now the brewery’s ninth-generation president, also handles koji production and the rest of the business side himself.

Fukuiwai has been earning honors at Japan’s top sake competitions since the early 2000s, when it first took gold at the National New Sake Tasting Competition. The streak has continued since, with platinum awards at Kura Master in 2021, 2022 and 2024; medals at the International Wine Challenge; and a gold win at the National Warm Sake Contest for a junmai made to be served warm. None of it has changed how the brewery works; Fukuiwai still comes from the same small team, following the same rule about washing rice by hand, which the family has followed for three centuries.

We chose Tohei Brewing Company because its story is one of patience. Junzo Tohei spent three years learning to brew at his predecessor’s side before he ever ran a batch on his own, and that same unhurried care still shows up in every bottle of Fukuiwai. Three brothers, one motto about washing rice, three centuries of history — none of it done for show. It’s simply how this family has always made sake, and how they still do.