Hasegawa Sake Brewery

Founded in 1842 in the Settaya district of Nagaoka, Hasegawa Sake Brewery is one of the few sake breweries in the region run by a woman. The main building, a registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1886, survived the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake and still functions as the brewery's office. Instead of pressing with machines, the brewers use shizuku shibori, hanging the mash in cloth bags and letting gravity pull the sake through drop by drop. The result is a fragrant, mellow sake. The brewery holds open-brewery events twice yearly with tastings and tours.