Welcome to Issue #64 of SIN.
It's been a busy couple of weeks in the industry. As we have reported previously, sake events are starting to return to regularity, which is obviously a huge plus for breweries, restaurants and bars that have been doing it tough for the past couple of years. Unfortunately, despite this turn of good tidings for the industry, we lead off this issue's news on a somber note. Rest assured we have some positive news to report as well, and we hope we can continue to bring news of a more optimistic nature in the future.
Now here's the news...
Fire Destroys Historic Brewery
Ibaraki- Devastating news this past week with the reports of a severe fire breaking out at Yūki Shuzō popular maker of Yui.
At approximately 2:30pm on May 11, a fire ignited in the brewery’s boiler room and quickly spread throughout the 428-year old Edo Period building structures and the attached family home of the kuramoto. Firefighters managed to get the blaze under control by 8:30pm, however it wasn't declared extinguished until approximately 3:00am the next morning - almost 13 hours after the fire started. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Two of the buildings destroyed in the inferno were registered as Tangible Cultural Properties. A third, the brewery's brick smokestack, survived the devastation.
In the slimmest of silver linings, the brewery's refrigerated storage facility survived the fire and by the following day, supporters and well wishers from across the area and wider Japan descended on the brewery to assist in transporting the surviving sake bottles to neighboring breweries for storage.
SIN will be sure to report on any ways readers can support Yūki Shuzō and kuramoto, Michiko Urasato during this impossibly difficult time, however in the meantime the Ibaraki brewers have banded together to collect support donations domestically. Residents of Japan can donate directly by bank transfer to the following account:
常陽銀行 結城支店
普通 1502819
真結酒造組合(シンケツシュゾウクミアイ)
Joyo Bank Yuki Branch
Normal account: 1502819
Shinketsu Shuzou Kumiai
Alternatively, please show support by purchasing Yui sake wherever possible.
結城酒造 , 結ゆい
JG: Fires are a real problem in the sake industry, and this is at least the third such fire about which I have heard in the last several years. Wooden structures that are several hundred years old are especially vulnerable to fires starting, and the cavernous interiors of most sake breweries make fires extra challenging to extinguish. There is little that can be done other than maintain extra vigilance. Recovery may be challenging, but the outpouring of support that I have seen in just the past few days suggests that somehow they will get back on their feet. Let us all offer thoughts and actions that Yūki Shuzō can recover in whatever way they choose to do so. There is not much else to say. Thanks too that no one was hurt!
IWC Award Results
London- The results of the 16th (for sake) IWC Awards were announced on May 12. This year a record 1732 submissions were considered in nine categories: futsūshu, junmai, junmai ginjō, junmai daiginjō, honjōzō, ginjō, daiginjō, sparkling and aged sake.
Gold medals went to 80 recipients with 732 medals being awarded overall. A full list of winners can be found here in English and here in Japanese
Congratulations to all the winners.
JG: While there are a handful of sake tasting competitions outside of Japan, IWC is surely the most influential for now. As such, it is worthwhile to follow the results, but of course, trust your own preferences as well.
I was a judge this year, as I have been almost every year since the inception of the event. Two years ago it was canceled due to COVID and last year it was limited to only local judges. This year, there seemed to be a relatively high level of quality, but also, a handful of also-rans were in the mix too. As such, we judges had to remain vigilant and be as discriminating as possible. I look forward to the privilege of tasting in the event again next year.
Hiroshima Getting In Shape
Hiroshima- The Hiroshima Fermentation Research Collective (made up of Miwa Shuzō, Fujii Shuzō, Kyokuho Shuzō) released its first sake made with rice that was milled using the modern shingin method.
The shingin method of milling, which was developed by rice milling machine producer Satake, enables brewers to produce cleaner, elegant styles of sake without milling to higher rates by using two similar methods known as genkei and henpei. These milling methods follow the practice of maintaining the rice grain’s natural shape when milling as opposed to milling into a round, ball shape (for more detail see issue#14).
The Hiroshima Fermentation Research Collective was only established this year, and Hajime (The Beginning) marks the group’s first release.
A tasting set containing a 720ml, unpasteurized version of each of the three brewery’s take on the Hajime is available at JPY6600.
The brewing specs for each sake are mostly the same allowing drinkers to enjoy each brewery's unique approach and style of brewing.
A pasteurized release will be available in July.
Source - Sake Times PR
JG: Satake is doing a great job of marketing the concept of these two new variations on milling, and being inclusive too by making it possible for their main competitor to be classified as Shingin too. This should go far in making the technical aspects of sake even more interesting to us average consumers.
三輪酒造（神雷）, 藤井酒造（龍勢）, 旭鳳酒造（旭鳳）, 始-HAJIME
Style As Well As Substance For Yamagata Breweries
Yamagata- There has been a noticeable shift in the market as more breweries come to recognize the importance of attractive labeling in reaching new customers.
Kotobukitoraya Shuzō, founded in 1715, has just released a revamped version of its popular Zao no Yukidoke. The thirtieth anniversary release saw the sake reborn as a junmai ginjō as opposed to the original ginjō. The new label design was created by Maika Kobayashi, a painter who relocated to Yamagata from Tokyo last spring. The color of the bottle was also changed from white to blue to match the label image, which depicts Mt. Zao and its melting snowcaps under a starlit sky.
The Yamagata Prefecture Brewers Association has also released 3000 bottles of a renewed version of the Yamagata prefectural unified label, Yamagata Sanka, junmai daiginjō. The Association handpicked brewers with an exceptionally high level of technical skill (Shūhō Shuzōjō and Yonetsuru Shuzō) to produce a quintessential Yamagata sake made with local Yukimegami rice. Kiyoyuki Okuyama, a local industrial designer with a portfolio including designs for Ferrari, designed the label.
Domestic sake sales have still yet to recover, and the Yamagata Brewers Association hopes the attractive labeling will appeal to drinkers purchasing sake off the shelves for home consumption.
Available through Yamagata Sake Tsū, online store:
Source - Kahoku
JG: Not surprisingly packaging is massively important, and long has been. In fact, I often hear that many consumers buy their sake based on the attractiveness of the label. While that irks me, it does not surprise me, and ultimately as long as they are drinking sake, it’s all good.
寿虎屋酒造 （霞城壽（かじょうことぶき）, 蔵王の雪どけ , 出羽の里 , 山形讃香 , 雪女神 , 秀鳳酒造場 , 米鶴酒造
Renewable Energy And Robot Ducks(?): The Way Of The Future
Yamagata- As Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, Kojima Sōhonten (Tōkō) chose the occasion to announce its shift to the use of sustainable energy for brewing. The brewery also announced it will begin experimenting with growing organic rice using aigamo robots.
The brewery reported a decline in sake rice quality and harvest quantity in recent years due to the rising heat in summer. Compounded with the reduced amount of snow in the winter that has affected the local ecosystem, it was decided to work toward renewable energy sources and organic rice growing.
The brewery converted to all-junmai brewing in 2020 in order to reduce CO2 emissions produced by the transportation of brewed alcohol from Brazil and Southeast Asia.
In 2022, Kojima Sōhonten will begin using locally produced renewable energy. Through this change the brewery expects to reduce two thirds of its CO2 production emissions.
Aigamo Robots have been introduced to the brewery's 30 acre (3000 sq. meter) rice fields in order to reduce the proliferation of weeds and undesirable organisms in the fields. The robots are modeled after the function performed by aigamo ducks that have been traditionally employed in some areas by rice farmers to maintain fields without the use of pesticides.
Tōkō is now available in 180ml recyclable aluminum cans, which have the highest domestic recycle rate of 94% and discharge less CO2 in production compared to glass bottles which have a 68% recycle rate.
Kojima Sōhonten attributes these efforts to a 31-fold increase in export volume over the past ten years. Exports currently make up 26% of the brewery's total output.
JG: It is great to see brewers move in the renewable energy direction; in truth, it is but a matter of time before all do. Kudos to these brewers like Kojima Sōhonten that are ahead of the curve.
小嶋総本店 , 東光
How Are Japanese Drinking?
Japan- As we hear more and more about the changing habits of Japanese consumers, research group, My Voice Internet Community Service conducted a survey of 10,000 locals in early February to gauge current trends.
Only 45% of the respondents identified as sake drinkers. The proportion of male sake drinkers tended to be higher in older age groups, with those in their fifties to seventies accounting for more than 50-60% of the total sake drinkers.
The influence of COVID was evident with people drinking at home increasing from 2019 to nearly 80%. Women drinkers reportedly prefer to drink at special occasions, while most of the younger generation prefers to drink before a day off from work (who doesn't?).
When choosing serving size, 40% of sake drinkers purchase 720ml bottles and 22.1% regularly purchase 1.8l bottles. Large sized carton packs accounted for 15%. Most respondents chose sake that aligned with their preferred taste profile of sweet or dry (65%), while 40% of drinkers were swayed by price. Interestingly, drinkers in their twenties and thirties were more likely to choose sake based on whether it was junmai or not.
COVID also influenced 10% of women in the twenty to forty-age group to drink more in the past two years, while 20% drank less compared to life before COVID.
Source - Myel | DimeJp
JG: Stats like this are interesting, revealing, but often discouraging. As sake popularity inches toward critical mass, let’s watch those numbers go up.
Industry Stirrings...
Saga- With the consumption of sake in Japan still slow due to COVID, three breweries in Saga Prefecture have begun looking abroad to bolster their sales.
Through the intermediation of the Saga Distribution Design Corporation, Mitsutake Shuzōjō, Ko-Imari Shuzō and Yano Shuzō are preparing to ship their sake to the U.S. after a successful online promotion campaign targeting chefs and buyers from well-known restaurants.
In 2020, the Corporation launched an export support program for the U.S., surveying local needs on behalf of sake breweries and assisting them in expanding sales channels. Some of the breweries had been considering export for a while, but had been unable to negotiate agreeable pricing.
In order to appeal to those who are not familiar with sake, the labels of the products to be exported are designed with images of rice grains indicating the base ingredient of sake, and suggestions for popular produce and ingredients for pairing with sake, such as mushrooms and seafood.
Source - Saga Shimbun
光武酒造場（光武）, 矢野酒造（肥前蔵心）, 古伊万里酒造（古伊万里）
Kumamoto- JA (Japan Agricultural Co-op) Kikuchi has collaborated with Tokyo Agricultural University to extract yeast from baby’s breath flowers for use in brewing.
Although using flower yeast for brewing sake is not uncommon, this is the first time baby's breath has been used. The Kikuchi area is one of the most prolific producers of baby’s breath. JA approached Tokyo Agricultural University in 2019 with the idea of extracting yeast from the flower. In 2021, they successfully isolated the yeast and employed the skills of Kameman Shuzō to produce sake with the yeast and local Hinohikari rice.
The sake (which has been limited to 3000 bottles) is selling for JPY2000 (720ml) and only available through local vendors and restaurants in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Source - Kumanichi
JG: The use of flower yeasts seemed to me to be leveling off, with only about three breweries committed to it for all their sake. While flower yeasts are fun and interesting, they can lead to idiosyncratic sake. But the research behind them can only help sake get better.
亀萬酒造
Ishikawa- The results of the 118th Noto Tōji Sake Competition were announced on April 22. The competition invites members of the Noto Tōji Guild from Ishikawa, Fukui and Toyama Prefectures to submit sake for consideration of the Noto Tōji Best Craftmanship Award as decided by the Kanazawa Regional Tax Bureau.
In the ginjō category, 34 breweries submitted 122 entries, while the Kanazawa yeast ginjō category received 90 entries from 38 breweries.
This year's top honors went to Kokuryū Shuzō (Kokuryū) from Fukui Prefecture for its entry in the ginjō category.
Other notable winners were:
Ishikawa Governors Award - Uno Shuzōjō (Ichinotani), Fukui Prefecture
Suzu City Mayor's Award - Kazuma Shuzō (Chikuha), Ishikawa Prefecture
JG: It is great to see sake with such a good reputation in the marketplace also show well in such strict competitions. It kind of makes me trust the validity of those contests even more. I also enjoy seeing results from the competitions of all sake made by a particular guild of tōji, in this case, the Noto Tōji. It kind of oozes tradition. Congratulations to Kokuryū.
黒龍酒造（福井県）, 黒龍・九頭龍 , 宇野酒造場（福井県） 一の谷 , 数馬酒造 (石川県) 竹葉
Corrections From SIN#63:
*In the story on Kobe Shushinkan's Fukuju keg, we mistakenly noted that the keg minimizes CO2 contact, which should have read, "O₂ contact".
*Niizawa Jōzōten was incorrectly located as being from Gifu Prefecture. It is of course located in Miyagi Prefecture.
Historical Sake Luminary, Miura Senzaburō
By John Gauntner
Sake Industry News exists to convey news from the sake industry in Japan to sake professionals – and ardent appreciators – all over the world. That includes straightforward news, as well as educational, cultural and human-interest facets of the sake world too.
In other words, sure, the more we know about how sake is made and the terminology used to talk about it the more effectively we can make it approachable to those with whom we interact. But the human-interest aspects are important too. Remember, the industry is made up of real human beings, and their challenges, successes and stories course through the veins of the sake world. That’s why from time to time it is important to include historical figures and events as well.
Like a good sake, balance is important. Too much tech is stuffy; too many human interest stories are not as helpful as they might seem. A balance of the two is important.
On that note, let’s look at the guy who ensconced Hiroshima Prefecture on the map of immensely significant sake regions, and at the same time established Hiroshima as the (admittedly debatable) birthplace of ginjō-shu.
I decided to include this story now as Hiroshima is recently drawing a good dollop of sake attention. Much of that is driven by Satake, the pre-eminent rice milling machine company, and their recent visible efforts to proactively create new possibilities in the sake industry, rather than rest on their laurels. Most of this focuses on new milling technology and marketing concepts based on that.
Another reason this spotlight on Hiroshima is timely is the release of the movie Ginzuru Monotachi, loosely translatable as "Those that Make Ginjō." Introduced to SIN readers in SIN #62, the story alternates between a modern-day setting in which the heroine that is visiting her sake-brewing family in Hiroshima discovers the writings of Senzaburō Miura, who is credited with developing ginjō-shu brewing methods, and flashbacks to Meiji-era scenes of the brewery, during the time that Miura was active.
Miura lived from 1847 to 1908, and had a challenging, yet varied and interesting life. He was the sixth son in a family running a very successful “general store” kind of business, and that led to him to follow his personal passion and start a sake brewery. He committed to the project and applied himself fully, but unfortunately, he had little affinity with the world of micro-organisms, and his sake did not turn out well.
So he cranked his efforts up a notch, and hiding his identity, he took a job at a brewery in Nada, the brewing capital of the universe, to learn firsthand the methods and practices that lead to good sake. After learning what he thought was enough, he returned to Hiroshima to pick up where he had left off.
However, even armed with his newfound knowledge and experience, his sake was not what he thought it should be or what he wanted it to be. Further research led him to realize that the techniques and practices he learned incognito in Nada applied to the water in use there, which was fairly “hard” water, i.e. rich in minerals that promote fast, active fermentation. And that means that every step of the process has to be done so as to maintain balance with the activity of the yeast, leading to just the right amount of sugar at just the right time.
But Hiroshima (with the exception of a narrow strip of land named Saijo) has soft water, which refers to a significantly lower mineral content. So again, everything has to be adjusted to the slower, more lackadaisical fermentation that happens in soft water.
Back then, hard water was considered indisputably better for making sake. Miura challenged this thinking and developed dependable, measurable repeatable methods of brewing that made the most of the soft water, rather than just lamenting it as unsuitable to the task.
Having essentially given up on reviving his own brewery, he doubled down on research for brewing good sake with soft water, and eventually created a body of knowledge that led to a book, called “Kaijōhō Jissenroku,” which can be translated as “A New Method of Brewing.” Most of the new method focused on making kōji in such a way that it created sugars at a pace consistent with the slower-fermenting yeast activity that results when brewing with soft water. This book and his teachings revolutionized sake brewing in Hiroshima Prefecture and led to its immediate success.
A few years later, Hiroshima began to do well in national sake tastings, winning medal upon medal. Their turnabout made it clear that soft water, rather than hard water, was actually quite suited to the low-temperature, longer-term fermentation process used to make ginjō-shu. And this in turn raised Hiroshima’s sake-brewing reputation, leading to it becoming known as the “birthplace of ginjō,” with Miura recognized as the father of that development.
In truth, while Miura did develop ginjō brewing methods and soft-water brewing methods, they would likely have come into being in time anyway. And certainly bits and pieces of these methods were already in existence. So it might be just a smidgeon of hyperbole to say he fathered it all, and that Hiroshima was the birthplace. But why interfere with a good story with something as subjective as reality.
Also, as good as it is, ginjō is not the only game in town, and other grades and styles of sake are also very much worth enjoying. So be sure to strive to consciously try a wide range of sake, ginjō and otherwise, from Hiroshima and other places too. And while bearing the technical aspects of all that in mind for reference, raise a glass to those people in history that have contributed so massively in making sake what it is today.
Sake Industry News. Issue #64.