Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute

農口尚彦研究所

Annual Production
700 Koku (126,000L)
Prefecture
Ishikawa

The Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute was established in 2017 as a tribute to master brewer Noguchi Naohiko. Designed to be a training ground for young future Toji to apprentice under the tutelage of Noguchi Toji, a man often referred to as “The God of Sake” due to his more than 70 years of sake brewing and his legacy in the industry. This unusual brewery was designed around one Master Brewer rather than having been a family run company passed on from generation to generation and it bears the name of the Toji, a testament to his excellence in the industry. Mr. Noguchi is said to have come out of retirement to lead this great project.

Noguchi Toji, now 88 years old, has been a Toji since the young age of 27. He has won 27 Gold Medals at the Annual Japan Sake Awards among uncountable other awards over his career and was even presented with the prestigious Yellow Medal of Honor for Master Craftsmanship by the Emperor of Japan.

農口尚彦研究所は、杜氏・農口尚彦氏への賛辞として2017年に開設されました。七十年以上にわたる酒造りの歴史とその業績から「酒の神様」とも呼ばれる農口杜氏のもとで、未来の若き杜氏が修行する場として設計されたこの蔵は常識を超えた、まさに卓越した存在です。一人の杜氏の名を冠したこの蔵は単に代々続く家族経営の会社ではなく、農口氏がいかにして日本酒業界に影響を及ぼしたかーそのヒントも隠されています。

現在89歳の農口氏は、27歳の若さで杜氏となり日本酒大賞で27個の金賞を受賞し、天皇陛下より黄綬褒章を授与されるなど、数え切れないほどの賞を受賞しています。