MARC POOTOOST WEST, PROOST BESTSEPTEMBER 2019

SEP 9

EAST WEST, CHEERS BESTHow the Japanese sake industry is reinventing itself
September 9, 2019
By Marc Poot
Based on a feature article first published in Culinaire Ambiance in September 2019
The traditional Japanese cuisine was recognized as a world heritage in 2013, but UNESCO forgot
to recommend a matching beverage. As a result, Japanese sake continued to be misunderstood bymany as a warm and somewhat peculiar digestive. But also back in Japan sake faced an imageproblem, be it of a very different nature and scale. The domestic market was on a seemingly
irreversible decline, pushing breweries to the brink of insolvency and beyond. Thousands
disappeared forever.
After years of transformation, the Japanese sake industry is today experiencing a renaissance. If
we are to believe the insiders, premium sake is even about to break through globally.

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MARC POOTOOST WEST, PROOST BESTSEPTEMBER 2019

“The tide has definitely turned,” says Mr. Imada, “but by no means have all breweries yet recovered.
But time waits for no man. New trends continue to transform the sake industry and are worth looking
at.”Land of the rising bubbles“Japanese people like to drink alcohol with fizz.
Whiskey soda, lemon sour, umeshu tonic,
matcha highball. The choice is endless. That’s
very different from the rest of Asia, ”saysTsushima Kitahara, the President ofYamanashi Meijo Co., Ltd. (ShichikenBrewery). “Also, we prefer our strong drinks
not too strong. Sounds a bit contradictoryperhaps, but there’s a good reason for it. We
have a habit of barhopping after a dinner withcolleagues or friends. Because we often toast
each other, generously diluting strong drinks
with ice cubes, soda or other carbonated nonalcoholic mixers is a necessary lifehack. Morethan 60% of the alcohol consumed in Japan isin one way or another sparkling or carbonated.
As a sake brewer, we had no share in thatsegment. That's why we decided to start
making sparkling sake.”“When I started working in the brewery in
2007, things were not going well. We were alocal brand and didn't know any better. In therest of Japan, almost nobody knew us. We soldno less than 30 different types of sake, buthardly survived. "“I had just come back from the US where I had worked in sales and marketing and had experienced
a very different world. My brother Ryogo, who worked as a brewer at Gozenshu in Okayama, joined
me. Together we made hard choices andturned things around. Today we produce
only 11 types of sake, but our turnover is 20
times more than before. We now sell all overthe country and also export our products.
We have a healthy balance sheet that allowsus to invest and grow further.”“Sparkling sake was a risky adventure. It
took us more than 5 years to master thetechnique. The biggest challenge for us was
the second fermentation in the bottle andthe disgorgement to remove the yeast
sediment. We eventually overcame all ourproblems and triumphed. Today sparklingsake already represents more than 30% of our turnover. Sales are in top gear. "www.writing.tokyo.jp

MARC POOTOOST WEST, PROOST BESTSEPTEMBER 2019

Sparkling sake is a relatively new trend, but an increasing number of sake brewers are joining theJapan Awasake Association (JAA) and are developing their own product following to strict rules
agreed by the members.
“I can recommend you our newest bluelabel sparkling sake (Sore no Irodori).
For the first time we are using thekijōshu brewing method. In thefermentation process, usually aroundthe fourth day, we add fresh sake for a
subtle enrichment of the flavor and avelvety finish. We also have a special

version called “EXPRESSION 2019” to which we add 25years matured daiginjō. Next year we are planning anexclusive edition with 40 years of matured daiginjō sake.”“These days, people drink more with their heads than with their hearts,” concludes Mr. Kitahara.
“They are looking for better and healthier products. Shichiken has the ambition to conquer both theirheads and their hearts. The next 5 years will show whether sparkling sake will become a sustainable
category with international appeal or will burst, well, like a bubble.”www.writing.tokyo.jp