Kizakura

How East Meets West

Tozai, literally translated “East-West” from the Japanese, is the result of the collaborative passion, skill, and experience of dedicated people from both Eastern and Western backgrounds. In March 2004, during a trip to Japan, Vine Connections partners Ed Lehrman and Nick Ramkowsky met with several individuals who all converged on a similar new idea: create a brand of super-premium, artisanal sake that is delicious to drink, beautifully packaged and labeled with original art work, widely distributed in the U.S., and all at a reasonable price for sake lovers and novices. After a year of diligent and creative work on both sides of the Pacific, Tozai became a reality with the first two releases (Feb. 2005), “Well of Wisdom” Honjozo and “Voices in the Mist” Honjozo Nigori.

Two years later, Tozai has become a real success story in the US , but the story is not finished. Ed & Nick have always wanted to spread the gospel of premium Japanese sake to as many people as possible, and while the first two Tozai sake were a good start, they were also produced at a price higher than many sake lovers were willing to spend on the first try. So we searched for a new partner, who had the cost benefits of scale of a larger brewer, but who also had a focus and passion for great tasting Junmai sake. We found it at Kizakura brewery in Kyoto prefecture, and Tozai “Living Jewel” Junmai and “Snow Maiden” Junmai Nigori were born.