Japan: premium sake shipment volume

In the brewery year 2021, the shipment volume of special-designation sake amounted to around 144.7 thousand kiloliters. This represented the fourth consecutive year in which shipments declined. Special-designation sake refers to graded quality products that constitute the premium segment of Japan’s sake market.

Rice polishing makes the difference

Japanese sake is a filtered rice wine made from fermented, polished rice, with the market discerning between two types: ordinary sake (futsu-shu) and special designation sake (tokutei meisho-shu). Over 100 rice variants are approved for sake brewing, with the industry processing around 180 thousand tons of brewers’ rice annually. Whereas ordinary sake is the table wine equivalent that can be brewed with general table rice, premium sake production follows stricter requirements regarding brewing methods, ingredients, and the polishing ratio of rice grains. For the most produced graded sake, the ‘pure rice, special brew’ (junmai ginjo-shu), 50 percent or more of the bran is milled off, leaving a starchy core for fermentation. Apart from the rice core, only water, yeast, and rice treated with koji-spores are allowed in the brewing process for this special grade.

Premium grade in the sake market

The milling of rice grains for premium-grade sake is highly mechanized, resulting in precise and efficient processing of the raw materials. But due to the increased expenses resulting from the higher amount of rice required and the lower output compared to the bulk production of ordinary sake, special-designation sake made up only a fraction of sake shipments in Japan. With manufacturers shifting to the more affordable price categories or making way for other alcoholic drinks, the production and shipments of premium sake have been on a steady decline. Even though the clear beverage retains its importance as a national beverage in Japan, consumers are more likely to opt for other popular and more affordable drinks for casual drinking like beer and mixed cocktails.