Doburoku, the mother of all sake, has been around as long as the history of rice growing. Also known as the Japanese moonshine, this rustic “Nigori” sake was once made in every rice growing village. It was outlawed in 1899 to “protect” the sake industry. However in recent times, government is granting special brewing licenses to people interested in preserving the ancient technique of brewing Doburoku. The younger generation has jumped on the bandwagon and launched craft breweries to showcase their creative Doburoku talents. It is brewed farmer-style: in one batch, truly unfiltered, and in the case of Tengu no Doburoku is blended to achieve a uniform texture. What is the difference between Doburoku and Nigori? Doburoku is the full flavored and rustic cousin of Nigori. Doburoku does not go through any filtering resulting in more sake lees and a richer, more savory flavor profile than Nigori and often lower in alcohol.