Sake is becoming increasingly popular in America.

As exports of Japanese sake grow, we see an increasing number of people are attracted to the aroma and delicate taste. This is especially true in the US. Some Americans were fascinated by sake and started brewing sake using rice and water from their hometown. We followed the movement, also known as the “SAKE boom”, on the spot.

‘‘I love sake because you can enjoy so many different flavors,” a male customer at a New York bar said with a smile.

Sake bars are opening across the US and when we went to one of those bars I was surprised not to see any Japanese people. Most of the regular customers who enjoy a glass of sake are local Americans and this shows the spread of how popular Japanese sake is in America. According to the store’s owner, the number of customers who come to the store recently in search of the unique, delicate taste of imported Japanese sake has increased.

Bar Manager Austin Power: ‘‘Alcohol consumption trends in the United States are shifting from powerful drinks with strong aromas, such as beer, to more subtle and delicate drinks. As more and more customers are interested in sake, I think the sake market is expanding. Helped by the Increase in sake imports, distributors such as Sakeportal and the construction of USA based sake breweries

American sake import volume

Beer, wine, and whiskey together account for 60% of sales in the American alcohol market, but imported sake is said to only account for 0.2%. It has been pointed out that the reason for this is that sake has not become established as an alcoholic beverage that is commonly consumed in American cuisine.

However, if we look at the amount of sake imported into the United States, it will be approximately 9 million liters in 2022, more than double the amount 10 years ago. Under these circumstances, there is a growing movement to build sake breweries in the United States, believing that demand in the United States should continue to grow. (To follow sake import and export data please see https://sakeportal.com/global-japan-sake-export-market-overview-for-sake-distributors-and-sake-importers/ )

Japan X USA collaboration

There are a growing number cases where sake breweries in Japan and the US are working together to produce sake and deepening their collaboration, although not benefiting from imported sake in terms of experience and quality it will improve over the coming years

In December 2021, a sake brewing company in Niigata Prefecture known for ”Hakkaisan” entered into a capital and business partnership with a New York sake brewing company.

A new company in New York is receiving  brewing advice from a company in Niigata Prefecture which includes dispatching brewers, they will use this experience to proceed with construction of a brewery to develop sake using the brewing knowledge from Japan.

The Niigata Prefecture company hopes that by having Americans produce local sake in the United States and expanding its  export sales channels, it will lead to the spread of sake in the US

Shuichi Negishi of Hakkai Brewery Group says ”Local-based sake brewing is gaining momentum. It’s important for passionate makers to speak directly to customers, and I think sake has great potential.”

There are many positive elements to this capital and business partnership, and by working together and receiving advice, the potential for the growth of USA sake breweries is there. This is accompanied by the passion of American producers who ‘‘want more Americans to drink sake’ and ‘‘want to spread sake even more around the world.”

This may be the one of the driving forces behind the recent sake boom. In order to expand the US sake market share, it is important that locally-based sake become popular and spread. In America, the old way of thinking that sake is something to drink when eating Japanese food or sushi is changing, and with it the appreciation of sake as a versatile, multi-flavored alcohol that has an abundance of tastes specific to each brewery.

Mr. Weston Konishi, North American Sake Brewery Association says ‘‘Experts need to tell consumers what sake is in America and that sake goes well with typical American cuisine.”

Will the “sake boom” overcome its challenges and take root in the United States in the future?

We would like to look forward to it.