2026/03/08
Three women, Three forms of mastery
Behind every HEAVENSAKE expression, every floral note, every porcelain vessel, stands a woman whose mastery makes it possible.
This International Women's Day, we honor the women of HEAVENSAKE: the hands, the minds, and the quiet force that carry this house from Japan’s finest breweries to the global table.
The Taste: Nanami Watanabe, Toji Master
At 22, Nanami Watanabe became Japan's youngest female toji. At the world-renowned Niizawa Brewery, where our Prestige II and Label Noir are born, she commands the craft. Every fermentation, every temperature shift, every silent decision passes through her instinct. She is not just overseeing a process. She is the guardian of the liquid's soul.
The Touch: Fusako Shinohara, Porcelain Artisan
At Arita Porcelain Lab, tradition is measured in centuries and perfection in millimeters. Fusako is one of the artisans whose hands give form to the vessels that house our Prestige collection, each glaze guided by intuition, each finish shaped by inherited mastery.
Her work transforms HEAVENSAKE into a multisensory moment: something you feel before you taste.
The Knowledge: Akiko Maeda, Sake Sommelier
Akiko-san is our shining light at the forefront of sake education. From the South of France to Japan, from Dubai to the most discerning tables on the global circuit. She carries the spirit of this liquid with an elegance that never feels like a lesson, and a playfulness that never feels like performance.
Three women. Three forms of excellence. One shared devotion.
