We’re on the downward slide to Christmas and the end of the year. This, of course, means precious little to the brewers out there who will be soldiering on through the holiday season with barely a break for a celebratory drink, but for the rest of us it means end of year parties, office gatherings, family catch-ups and general over-indulgence.
Usually such times call for moderation and advisory warnings on taking it easy over the “silly season”. Well, let us take the opportunity to say it’s the time of year to seize our moment and introduce more people to sake. Slide that sneaky bottle into the fridge at the house party, order a bottle for the table at the restaurant, urge the office party planner to budget for a couple of bottles of sake for that Friday soiree!
There’s no such thing as the “appropriate time” to introduce sake. Anytime is the right time so get out there and convert the great unwashed to the power of our beloved rice elixir! The industry needs you!
And now for the news…
Hokkaido- As SIN first reported in August last year, Kamikawa Taisetsu Shuzō has had plans in the works to open its fourth brewery in Hokkaido in 2026. After much preparation construction is finally set to begin on the new facility. Completion is expected around the summer of 2026, and if all goes well, we may see the brewery’s freshly pressed sake as early as next autumn.
In August 2024, Kamikawa Taisetsu Shuzō signed a cooperation agreement with Abashiri City and Ōzora Town to introduce the sake brewing to the region. The brewery plans to use local Abashiri water and sake rice grown in Ōzora Town. Abashiri City’s soft tap water is sourced from the spring water of Mt. Mokoto, which keeps a cool and consistent 8°C year-round. The construction site is also close to the Okhotsk Ryūhyō Museum, a well-known sightseeing spot at the summit of Mt. Tentozan, with views of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Shiretoko mountain range.
