Intentionality of Process

Water, Rice, and Uncompromised Craft

Ilaka puts new emphasis on hyperlocal sake. The same soft local water that emerges from snow and rain in the Northern Alps and is used to brew the sake, along with water from the Takase and Ashimas rivers, is also used to grow the local Matsumoto rice. For Ilaka, Tanaka-san uses only rice grown within five kilometers of the brewery. Even the yeast is sourced exclusively from within Nagano Prefecture—a commitment shared by ji-zake (regional/local sake) breweries across Japan that aspire to be true expressions of their locality.

Tanaka-san aims for, in his own words, sake with a texture as soft and smooth as silk. The extraordinarily soft water that wells up from the ground of Matsukawa Village contains nothing extraneous, and he believes it draws out the true power of the rice itself. With “respect for the gifts of nature,” he returned to the origin of sake brewing, facing each and every process directly. 

He relies on a traditional saying on the order of priority in sake brewing: ichi ni kōji, ni ni moto, san ni tsukuri (“first kōji, second shubo, third the brewing itself”). Make the finest kōji, nurture the shubo (yeast starter), and watch over the balance of everything. Every part of the process is delicate, and every part of it is essential.

Ilaka operates on a micro-scale, utilizing small fermentation tanks identical to those used for competition entries at the Annual Japan Sake Awards. Priority is given to meticulous precision in every bottle over increasing annual production volume.

Philosophy & Ethos

Place over Polishing

When it comes to rice polishing, Tanaka-san prefers to operate outside of the grading system. He believes it muddies the waters when it comes to differentiating the price and quality of sake. During the era of the old Liquor Tax Law, sake was roughly divided into the categories of first grade, second grade, and special grade, and its price was set according to the grade. But even since the old Liquor Tax Law was abolished and those three grading divisions have disappeared, there is still a tendency to set prices by category. For this reason, Tanaka-san believes the situation where prices are roughly the same according to classifications such as junmai, ginjo, and daiginjo has not changed.

With this firmly in mind,  Ilaka does not disclose the rice polishing ratio for any of its sakes, with the intention of keeping the focus solely on place, quality and craftsmanship.

“We want to break away from the idea that ‘this price is because the rice is polished to this extent.’ We’d rather propose a new value standard that says, ‘this sake is valuable because it is made from this water, this rice, and this climate of the region.’” 

Toji Katsumi Tanaka

Data Points

Ilaka at a Glance

● Founded in 2024 in Matsukawa Village, Nagano Prefecture
● Toji: Katsumi Tanaka
● Water: Ultra-soft groundwater from Northern Alps snowmelt
● Rice: Matsumoto rice grown within 5km of the brewery
● Koji: White & yellow
● Yeast: Nagano D & C + P33–37 blend, P33–37 (single strain)
● Yabuta Press
● Place over polishing ratio
● Fully gravity-fed brewery
● Binkan hi-ire (Nama Chozo): exacting and brief time at temperature depending on the rice and fermentation
● All Muroka (no charcoal, or any filtration at all)
● All Genshu (undiluted)

Understanding the Range

The Silver Series

Ilaka’s Silver Line (Gin) serves as the brewery’s flagship core range, showcasing versatile expressions through distinct flavor profiles like classic (Gin-Kuro or Silver-Black), aromatic (Gin-Beni or Silver-Crimson), and umami-forward (Gin-Ai or Silver-Indigo). 

The Silver-Black is the original expression and philosophical foundation of the Silver Series. It embodies Toji Tanaka’s vision of what sake should be: balanced, expressive, and rooted in tradition. Brewed under the theme of “returning to the origin,” it seeks to showcase the full potential of Matsukawa’s water, rice, and landscape.

The Sliver-Crimson is the most aromatic expression within the Silver Series. Crimson was shaped to explore the tension between aromatic intensity and a remarkably dry finish.

The Silver-Indigo is created using a special yeast originally developed by Toji Tanaka more than twenty years ago and revived specifically for this expression. This bottling explores the contrast between delicate aromatics and profound umami.

The Gold Series

The premium Gold Line (Kin) elevates the foundation utilizing pesticide-free local rice, yielding an extraordinarily vibrant, multi-layered profile with an ultra-soft, refined texture and bottled from three distinct sections of the tank, the upper, middle, and lower sections. 

The Gold line series is sake led by technique, answered by nature. The late-Edo-period Zen monk and painter Sengai Gibon depicted the circle, triangle, and square (◯△□) as an expression that “all phenomena return to the One” — the essence of Zen. Inspired by these words, the Kin (“Gold”) Series expresses three distinct flavors, all born from a single tank.

◯ Tamaki (環 — “Ring”)

A symbol of harmony that embraces all things. Following the Zen circle (◯), it speaks to the oneness of all things. Rice, water, and time resonate together in a single drop. Soft, yet clear.

△ Hoko (鉾 — “Spear/Halberd”)

An expression of the will to challenge and rise, embodied in the △ that points toward the sky. A sharp acidity and deep umami weave together into an intelligent, invigorating glass. Its character grows more distinct the more one drinks, a flavor that strikes straight at the heart.

☐ Ishizue (礎 — “Cornerstone”)

The ☐ symbolizes earth and stability, carrying the stillness and unshakable strength of Zen. A dense umami and deep finish, gaining further depth with the passage of time.