Doburoku is part of the homebrewing culture in Japan that dates back as far as the start of rice farming in the country. In 1252, a survey in Kanagawa Prefecture was able to uncover as many as 37,274 brewing pots within the country’s residences. However, in 1899, there was actually a nationwide ban on homebrewing due to tax on sake breweries becoming a major source of revenue for the government. Despite that, doburoku brewers still continued production within the Tohoku area.

Tono city within Iwate prefecture is the first city to be given the special certificate required for the production of Doburoku during the prohibition of home brewing in the Meiji era.

Doburoku is basically sake that hasn’t been filtered, hence its thick, white, chunky texture. Unlike sake, doburoku does not require a fermentation starter and alongside a shorter fermentation period, a relatively larger amount of sugar is left over resulting in a sweeter taste.

• Doburoku also has a lower alcohol percentage, averaging around 6-8%, when compared to the usual 15% in nihonshu.