Welcome to Issue #53 of Sake Industry News …
… where the only new strains we talk about are yeast strains.
As we roll into December, remember Santa Claus is "making a list and checking it twice, he's gonna find out if your booze has rice". So be sure to stock up on your favorite sake for the holiday season. Now more than ever the range and quality of sake available overseas, and of course in Japan, is unparalleled - it's a great time to be drinking sake.
On the local scene, the season's new sake offerings continue to hit the bars and stores and things are definitely looking up compared to last year (how could they be worse? Don't ask).
For now, grab that hot cup of yamahai and warm yourself with the latest from the industry.
And now for the news...
Popular Aichi Brand To Return After 20-year Absence
Aichi- Itō Goshi Kaisha in Handa City, Aichi Prefecture was once the producer of one of the most popular sake in the area, Shikishima. Sadly, the brewery closed in 2000 with the passing of the kuramoto of the time.
Now, some 20 years later, ninth generation owner Masaru Itō has decided to revive the brewery and continue his family's legacy. Itō has sourced capital to purchase rice for the first batches through crowdfunding to bring his dream to fruition.
Currently, the brewery is being re-equipped with tools and machinery, while brewing is slated to begin in early December. Watch this space.
Source - Chunichi
JG: It’s always been one of my dreams for the industry that dormant breweries return to the brewing fold. And it is happening. Not in droves, mind you; far from it. But neither are they isolated cases. Let’s hope these re-openings are a sign of positive change in the sake world.
敷嶋 , 伊東合資会社
Sake Made With Rice From All Over Japan - Literally
Fukushima- Akatsuki Shuzō (Akebono) has celebrated the fourth release of Kizunamai, a sake brewed using rice from 211 regions in all 47 prefectures of Japan. An event commemorating the release of the sake was held near Haneda Airport on Nov 5.
Kizunamai was made as part of the Okoshizake Project, an initiative designed to invigorate the local sake industry and promote the continuing recovery of the Tohoku region from the 2011 earthquake and also the effects of COVID-19 on the sake and hospitality industry.
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