Sake has spent the past decade or so winning over sommeliers, Michelin-starred kitchens and a devoted niche of Western drinkers. What it has not yet done is become an everyday choice in the wider restaurant trade: the sort of drink ordered in a wine bar or paired with a tasting menu as naturally as a Chablis or a Barbera.
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Since 2020, the value of sake exports has almost doubled, with the category achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% over the past five years.
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The organisation responsible for promoting Japanese food and drinks globally, JFOODO, has launched a campaign that will see some of the top restaurants in London celebrate the “food-pairing versatility of Sake” this February.
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The Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) has introduced the ‘Emergency Guarantee System for Sharp Rice Price Increases’ which guarantees breweries’ debts when they borrow production funds from financial institutions.
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I recently read that the UK is on the verge of a sake boom. The trade press article reported “a healthy increase in popularity”, with the St James’s wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd noting “a 1,000% increase in sales between 2023 and 2024” and “heaps of coverage in the press”. Normally sake gets next to no coverage in the press so this was news to me. I thought then that I should check and see if there really is a breakthrough, or if, like previous claims for Riesling or Muscat, the hype outweighs the evidence.
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When I was a young and impressionable sales executive I worked for a wine and spirits wholesaler that did booming restaurant trade thanks to its really talented wine team. And during this time, being young and curious, I ended up in more than a few sessions learning about Sake. I’ll be honest – I’ve loved Sake ever since. And in the last few years, we’ve been seeing all the early signs that it’s about to hit the big time here in the UK. But in a category that’s so uniquely entwined with one culture, where flavours and styles can differ so widely, and where the text on the bottle is often written in an alphabet we can’t decipher – where do you even begin? I have a few ideas…
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Leading distributor Speciality Brands has welcomed a UK-based sake brewery into its diverse portfolio, strengthening its already strong Japanese offering.
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Sake exports grew by +6% year on year for 2024 compared to the year prior, with the export value reaching 43.5bn yen (approximately £230mn) with 3.45mn cases of the rice wine reaching a record 80 countries and regions.
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Aumont Brewery, a leading firm based in the province of Niigata, has unveiled a new brand of Japanese rice wine called Kay Sake.
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Akashi-Tai has secured a national grocery listing with Waitrose. The partnership signals Akashi-Tai’s continued expansion in the UK and the growth of the sake category. From August, Akashi-Tai will be the exclusive sake available at Waitrose, offering three different SKUs.
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Berry Bros. & Rudd is to repeat its en primeur sake offer this year, reflecting the ongoing growth in this spirits category.
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Chris Hicks and Alex Bagner, the husband-and-wife team behind The Rose in Deal, have just opened The Blue Pelican – a Japanese-inspired restaurant and natural wine bar set in a seafront townhouse with views over Deal Pier.
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Restaurants across the capital will be celebrating Sake next month, with a range of special promotions launching on 1 October – World Sake Day.
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Matteo Basso, head bartender at the Malt Lounge and Bar in London, has won the UK Bartenders Guild’s National Cocktail Competition 2022.
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On-trade luminary Christine Parkinson is “seriously considering” opening London's first sake school following her surprise departure from Hakkasan
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Japan Week is launching in London next week, giving a spotlight to the uptick of Japanese wines, spirits and sakes across the capital.
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Amathus Drinks has teamed up with Kanpai for a UK-wide distribution deal.
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Thanks to two key trade deals, Japan has increased its reach to a billion people so far in 2019. Jo Gilbert looks at the knock-on effect for the country’s drinkable exports
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