Startups rewrite rules of traditional Japanese sake

Upstart brewers look to expand beverage's global appeal via new taste and tech

Clear sake has taken a page from the computer chipmaking industry, relying on other companies to make its luxury-brand beverage while marketing through its own website and social media.

AMI YAMADA and MASAMITSU ITO, Nikkei staff writers

September 12, 2020 12:11 JST

TOKYO/HAKODATE, Japan -- Sake, the staid but nuanced alcoholic drink emblematic of Japan, is now being transformed by startups looking to trash tradition to tempt a wider global audience.

The upstart brewers still base their beverage on rice but are upgrading the libation with yuzu, ginger and other ingredients to create new aromas and color to the typically clear drink. Others are taking a page from the vintage wine book and selling aged sake that can cost thousands of dollars per bottle. And as domestic sake production fizzles, many are looking overseas.