Underwater aging adds deep taste to Japanese sake
Published on: Tuesday, January 24, 2023
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Nikkei, FMT
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About 400,000 kilolitres of sake were shipped in 2021 in Japan. (Envato Elements pic)
Despite a steady decline in Japan’s overall sake consumption, those made with unique aging methods sell well. Sake matured beneath the waves, for one, is a popular gift that offers a sense of luxury and rarity.
Last month, Forbul, a Tokyo-based sake maker, began selling a product aged for about two years called ‘Takanome: Underwater Aging’. The brewer submerges its bottled Takanome premium sake 15m underwater off the coast of Minami Izu, in Shizuoka prefecture southwest of Tokyo for six months. It then ages it in a warehouse at -5 degrees Celsius for another 18 months.
It is said that sake matures more quickly and tastes milder than conventional brews. Among the various theories for why this is so, the most plausible is that certain vibration frequencies occur due to the wave action, affecting the chemical composition of the sake.
There is also less variation in temperature when sake is aged underwater versus aboveground. The submarine environment also provides “natural storage,” and an ideal place for the maturation process, as seawater temperatures are lower in winter and the currents stronger than in other seasons.
Forbul sells only 300 bottles of underwater-aged sake, which have five different flavour profiles. The company says even brews that are aged on the same seabed or for the same amount of time taste different, depending on the waves at the time. A 720ml bottle ranges in price from ¥33,000 to ¥60,000 yen (US$257 to US$468), including tax and shipping.
All five sakes are touted as complementing various foods. Unkai (“Sea of Clouds”), for example, has pineapple hints, with a refreshing acidity and sweetness. It goes well with salty white fish dishes, according to the company.
The two products introduced in December have already sold out and the remaining three will go on sale later this month. A 180ml bottle of Takanome, the same sake minus the undersea aging, will be sold as a package with the aged brew, allowing customers to compare.
Takanome, which Forbul introduced in 2019, is known as a rare brew and typically sells out within five minutes after it goes up for sale every Wednesday on the company’s website.
Seiya Hirano, Forbul’s representative director, said the company is a pioneer when it comes to aging, adding that it plans to do research on aging in barrels and other methods.
Japan’s sake market has been shrinking due the country’s declining population and shifting tastes. About 400,000 kilolitres of sake were shipped in 2021 in Japan, less than a fourth of the peak figure in 1973.
As it is becoming harder to sell sake in large volumes, breweries across Japan are competing to add value to their products with unique aging methods, such as Forbul’s underwater maturation.
Shiraki Brewery in the central Japanese city of Gifu, also goes for submarine maturation and has been making such brews since 2013. The brewery ages its bottled Masamune sake 15 to 20m underwater in Minami Izu from November until June.
Daruma Masamune, the underwater-aged version of the brew, which features bottles naturally encrusted with seashells, goes on sale around July every year. A 720ml bottle is priced at ¥8,250. Daruma Masamune is popular with men in their 30s and 40s, with many customers buying it for its unique flavour and the look of the bottle.
“Underwater-aged Daruma Masamune sells out every year and many customers continue to buy it,” CEO Shigeri Shiraki said, adding that there are also inquiries from Taiwan and elsewhere.
“Breweries are making efforts to age sake utilising the characteristics of each region, such as underwater and in snow rooms,” said Yasuyuki Kishi, a professor at Niigata University who specialises in the craft.
Such unique twists on the ancient art may be the key to stirring an industry caught in the doldrums.
