V-1 Kiuchi Brewing and Distilling: Two Centuries of Taking on New Challenges
We start brewing sake
1823
Kōnosu Village headman Gihei Kiuchi starts brewing sake in Naka-gun, Hitachi-no-kuni (present-day Kōnosu, Naka City, Ibaraki Prefecture). As village leaders, the Kiuchi clan paid a rice tribute to the Mito Domain, and the Kiuchi Brewery was born when they started brewing and selling sake from the surplus rice crop.
Upper image
Sake for the late Edo period
The late Edo period (1603–1868) was a time of chaos, one in which ideas of reform for a new era conflicted with thoughts directed only to the past. In Mito, the “Mito School” of thought advocated the study of a new future based on a history tracing back to the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami. This became the basis for the ideas of many people who had a great effect on those times, including Takamori Saigo and Shoin Yoshida. At the center of this group was Tōko Fujita, a relation of the Kiuchi family. Through Tōko’s mediation, Gihei interacted with many Mito School scholars and adherents. One autumn day, Tōko saw chrysanthemums (kiku) in full bloom and named the sake “Kikusakari” in hopes of Japan’s prosperity.
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Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup, a Tōko favorite
In recognition of Gihei’s wise decision to start brewing sake, the sake lover Tōko wrote a calligraphic rendition of the Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup, a poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu, on a sliding door of a sitting room in the Kiuchi family home. The poem humorously describes a boisterous drinking session of eight heavy drinkers. The original calligraphy by Tōko was lost in a fire. This photo shows a reproduction by his nephew, Tansei.
1922
Completion of the Kōnosu brewery
The current Kōnosu brewery is completed. Tomishichi, the head of the family during this period, laid the foundation for the current Kiuchi Brewing and Distilling.
1945
During the turmoil of the postwar period, we maintain our commitment to brewing quality sake
During the post-war period of constant shortages, sake that prioritized cheapness over quality sold in large quantities, but the Kiuchi Brewery stuck to its commitment to quality and pure-rice brewing.
Nest Beer takes the world
1996
We start brewing beer—the birth of “Hitachino Nest Beer” and its famous owl label
This was made possible thanks to deregulation that allowed beer production by smaller companies, so we took on the challenge of learning how to brew beer from scratch. To reduce costs, we ordered the equipment directly from overseas, and four employees built the production line while struggling to understand the English manuals.
1997
Gold Prize winner in an international beer competition
Just one year after its creation, our Hitachino Nest Beer Amber Ale won the first-place Gold Prize in an international beer competition. The Nest brand continued winning contests after that, making it known throughout the world.
1999
Start of Hitachino Nest Beer exports
In response to an increasing number of inquiries from overseas, Kiuchi Brewery began exporting its beers. Rather than selling through a Japanese trading company, Kiuchi has always dealt directly with its trading partners to maintain close communications.
As of 2023, Nest Beer is exported to over forty countries worldwide.
2007
We bring back the legendary Kaneko Golden barley for beer brewing
Nearly all malt for beer brewing in Japan is imported, but we have been working with local farmers to revive Kaneko Golden, a traditional Japanese beer barley that was discontinued in the 1950s. This allow us to create a craft beer that is unique to Japan, something we have wanted to do for a long time. This beer will be brewed using Ibaraki-grown barley and domestically sourced hops.
The challenge of Japanese whisky
2016
We enter the whisky business, aiming for a purely Japanese product
As a new challenge related to brewing alcoholic beverages using only locally produced raw materials, we started whisky production in a corner of our Nukada Brewery, a beer production facility. One goal was to make effective use of barley that does not meet our standards for beer brewing, which is always present in the domestic barley we procure.
2020
We open the Yasato Distillery
With our full launch of whisky production, we opened a new distillery in the Yasato district of Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The facilities are in a renovated building that was formerly a community center.
2022
The birth of Hinomaru Whisky the 1st Edition
We release Kiuchi’s first whisky: Hinomaru Whisky the 1st Edition.
2023
We open a malting plant in our Ishioka brewery
We established a malting plant in Ishioka City, near our Yasato Distillery. This allows us to process the locally produced grains we use as raw materials.
Born in Hitachino, refined in Hitachino, and launched from Hitachino