Wooden barrels reflect the unique character of the brewery.

"I felt that sake had to be transformed from a machine-made industrial product into a traditional craft," says Usui. Aiming for authentic sake brewing, he believes that wooden vats reflect the individuality of the brewery. To achieve this, he felt it was necessary to return to the pre-mechanization era. This led him to a return to sake brewing methods like those of his ancestors, such as the "kimoto method" and "handcrafted processes." "Wooden vat brewing" is one of the answers to this.

"The more you use wooden vats, the more you realize that this is the traditional method. In short, wooden vats are not tools for fighting bacteria, but for coexisting with them. In efficient methods where you work backward from the target flavor, it's important to eliminate bacteria. But with wooden vat brewing, the microorganisms that live in the brewery are what make the sake, so humans can't completely control the final product. That's what gives the brewery its unique character."

Senkin, which champions a natural approach, does not artificially add lactic acid bacteria or yeast. They make their sake using only steamed rice, water, and koji, along with the brewery's own yeast, so the taste varies from time to time. Mr. Usui says that this is what makes it interesting. The charm of wooden barrels may be that the flavor changes with the environment and conditions, accurately depicting the individuality of the brewery.