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Great Sake Starts in the Rice Field A sake brewer once said, "The quality of sake can never exceed the quality of its ingredients."
The rice used to brew sake has an enormous influence on its fragrance and taste. To improve the quality of sake-brewing rice and promote cultivation and research of new strains of rice, Asahi-Shuzo founded Asahi Noken, Ltd. Working closely with local farmers, Asahi Noken pursues the development of rice with the perfect qualities for sake brewing.

The Accomplishments of Asahi Noken Asahi Noken is an agricultural production corporation established in 1990 with a mission to preserve Japan’s regional agriculture and produce even better varieties of sake-brewing rice. With its sights set on producing the ideal sake-brewing rice for Asahi-Shuzo, Asahi Noken plays a vital role as a test-field for experiments to reduce fertilizer use and protect the environment. In 1996 Asahi Noken began research on a rice strain called Senshuraku, which had to be revived after disappearing for 30 years. Asahi Noken worked with Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) and other partners to establish techniques for cultivating this strain. A number of valuable products have arisen from these rice-cultivating efforts, including ESSHU, a sake made with Senshuraku rice, and Junmai Daiginjo SENSHIN, a sake brewed using the Takanenishiki rice strain.