Welcome to Issue #81 of Sake Industry News.
Japan has been enjoying (maybe more like enduring) a cold snap over the last couple of weeks, which has seen snowfall wreak havoc on roads, public transport and basically get in the way of everyone trying to get about their day and have some fun. This also means some hiccups with shipping and a lull for restaurants and bars as people opt to not go outside and battle the elements.
Still, for some, the snow and cold weather just means kanzake never tasted so good. Without trying to be overbearing and not wanting to directly tell folks how they should enjoy their sake; it must be said, if you’re not at least experimenting with warmed sake, you’re really missing out on the true potential of what nihonshu can offer.
But you don’t have to drink warmed sake everyday, nor do you need to go out and buy a bunch of fancy kiln-fired vessels and temperature measuring equipment. If you’ve got a stovetop and a mug, you’re good to go. Even the microwave will do the trick. Warmed sake is a unique sales point of sake that should be driven as one of the many good reasons for choosing sake among so many other beverages on offer. And to needlessly complicate things by insisting customers clog their kitchen with a whole bunch of paraphernalia they don’t really need in order to enjoy warm sake just further alienates potential sake converts.
So keep it simple. You don’t have to become a card-carrying kanzake meister (note: not a real thing….yet), but you should be giving it a try, and if the weather where you are is anything like the weather we’re going through here, now is the perfect time.
And now for the news…
Customized Sake For the World
Niigata- Individuals and businesses outside Japan will now have access to production of privatized sake labels as Niigata-based group FERMENT8 expands its customized sake service to international markets.
Fermnet8 has been selling sake by the tank through its MySAKEjp service domestically since 2021, but is now partnering with ChefooDo, an association of some of Japan’s leading chefs to develop its operation for overseas customers.
The group said in its press release, “As demand for sake grows overseas, we believe that creating a system that allows chefs around the world to customize sake flavors according to their cuisine and region will enable us to develop sake that is specifically localized and therefore contributing to the popularity of the sake market abroad.”
Source - Nigata Nippo | Pr Times
JG: Very entrepreneurial idea! I am sure it will work in many regions around the world. But unfortunately, I do not think it will work in the US, the biggest export market by volume, since the US government insists on label registration, chemical analysis, and distribution through an importer and distributor. If one has to go through all that, it is likely easier to just use traditional channels.
An Analysis Of Alcohol Exports
Japan- The Nikkei recently did an in depth analysis of exports of Japanese alcoholic beverages revealing some interesting figures.
Alcoholic beverage exports have been growing, reaching JPY114.7 billion (USD808mil) in 2021, 1.6 times the level of the previous year and surpassing 100 billion yen for the first time. Behind this six-fold increase in alcoholic beverage exports over the past ten years, whiskey and sake have seen the largest growth.
Although the yen's depreciation seems to be the driving force behind the increase, the scale and increase in value are smaller than in many other countries, and globalization of Japanese products is still in its infancy.
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