Historic Niigata brewery Echigo Tsurukame destroyed by fire, vows to rebuild

In Niigata Prefecture, one of Japan’s leading sake-producing regions, the brewery Echigo Tsurukame, founded in 1890, has been struck by fire. Niigata faces the Sea of Japan, is blessed with excellent rice and water, and is known at home and abroad for its crisp, clean sake. On 19 July a fire broke out at the company’s premises in Takeno-cho, Nishikan Ward, Niigata City, and the brewery was burned to the ground. At least seven buildings were damaged, including nearby houses.

The fire that took the brewery, and the suspected cause

Five days after the fire, on 24 July, Echigo Tsurukame issued a statement on its website and elsewhere. After apologising to local residents and business partners, it explained that the cause of the fire was thought to be “most likely an electrical leakage in the electrical equipment”. The company says it will carry out the necessary measures and take thorough steps to ensure that the same accident is never repeated.

Carrying more than 130 years of brewing into the future

At the heart of the statement is a firm resolve to rebuild. The owner says they want to keep Echigo Tsurukame’s brewing unbroken and pass on to the next generation the spirit inherited since its founding and the skills it has refined. They also set out their intention to rebuild its production system from scratch with safety as the first priority, and to restore the brewery as one that can deliver sake that delights those who drink it. At many Japanese breweries, it is not only the building and equipment but also the microbial environment that has settled in the brewery and the experience of its craftspeople that shape the character of the sake. Losing an entire brewery therefore means more than the loss of equipment alone.

Enjoying Echigo Tsurukame’s sake

One of Echigo Tsurukame’s signature styles is junmai ginjo. Junmai ginjo refers to sake made only from rice, rice koji and water, in which the rice is polished from the outside to make the grains smaller and is then fermented slowly at a low temperature. It is generally characterised by a gentle, fruit-like aroma and a smooth mouthfeel.

For readers in Europe, this news is a chance to follow the journey of a single brewery. If you come across a bottle of Echigo Tsurukame on the shelves of a specialist sake shop or importer, bear in mind that it was made before the fire, in a different environment from whatever follows the rebuilding. Using labelling such as “junmai ginjo” as a guide, try it lightly chilled and check its aroma in a white wine glass. And do keep an eye out for news of the rebuilding, and of what kind of sake will be born in the new brewery.