Brand's products BUNGO MEIJYO

The town of Saiki, where our craftsman "Bungo Meijyo" is located, is in the eastern part of Kyushu, a region surrounded by abundant nature. This well-known company has been making sake and shochu since 1910. In recent years, the company has become very successful in the Japanese market for its high quality koji amazake.

Amazake is a traditional Japanese drink. It has a thick creamy consistency with a sweet flavor, and is served cold or hot. History of amazake dates back to the third and sixth centuries in Japan. The drink became popular in the Edo period (1603-1868): street vendors sold amazake as a kind of energy drink. Known as a hot drink to warm the body in winter, it was also sold cold during the hot summer season. Amazake was originally known for its health benefits. Amazake is a fermented food like miso and soy sauce. There are two types of Amazake: one is made from "sake kasu (sake lees)", and the other from "malted rice (kome koji)". For sake lees-based amazake, "sake kasu (sake lees)" is the filtered pomace left over from the sake-making process and contains alcohol. Since the sake lees is not sweet, sugar is normally added to make amazake. Koji amazake contains no added sugar and is alcohol free. Kome koji (malted rice)" is steamed rice that has been grown with the microscopic koji kin or Aspergillus Oryzae fungus (also used to make sake and rice miso). Malted rice is therefore one of the most essential elements of Japanese food culture. Normally, malted rice amazake does not use sugar because the rice starch is broken down into glucose during the fermentation process to produce sufficient sweetness. Although its name contains the word "sake", Malted Rice Amazake is completely non-alcoholic. It is safe for consumption by young children and pregnant women. Koji amazake we introduce is made from malted rice and uses only Japanese rice, malted rice and local river water as raw materials. It does not contain any sugar or preservatives. Unlike amazake made from sake lees, koji amazake is rich in minerals, owes its sweetness to glucose from the saccharification of rice starch, is moderately caloric, does not contain alcohol, provides a moderate amount of dietary fiber and is rich in essential amino acids.