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06

Opening new doors

Although sake is officially designated as Japan's kokushu or national alcoholic beverage, sales in Japan have been slumping since 1973. Sales volume peaked that year at 1,766,310 kl but by 2009 had shrunk to 633,903 kl, with projections it will fall even further. Once boasting a strong 30 percent share of domestic alcohol sales, sake now claims only 7 percent, having been overtaken by beer, shochu and other drinks. We need ways, then, to teach people how good sake can be and how to enjoy it. Even as a small regional brewery, we decided to meet this challenge.

First, kan tanoshi. Literally “enjoying warm sake,” this is a device we developed to make it easy to heat and serve sake at the right temperature — a difficult thing, especially for restaurants. Kan tanoshi involves filling a tokkuri, or ceramic flask, with sake, filling the kan tanoshi with hot water, setting the tokkuri inside and letting it warm for about three minutes. At home, instead of popping sake in the microwave, you can savor the moment as it warms in its bath. And restaurants can warm and serve any variety of sake this way. Kan tanoshi has broadened the scope of warm sake enjoyment in Japan.

Then, for those who may not care for sake or have yet to try it, Kokuryu developed Gin no Tobira, a new style of sake that translates literally as “The Doors to Ginjo.” This is a smooth, easy-drinking ginjo sake with a fruity aroma and light flavor, offered in a sapphire blue 150-ml bottle at a lower post-tax price of 440 yen to encourage people to discover the world of ginjo sake.

Now let's ask sake fans a question. When you go out for a drink, do you find sake to be more expensive than draft beers and cocktails? This may be because sake is traditionally served in large volume cups or glasses, 180 ml at a time, and has a higher alcohol content than beer or mixed drinks.

Our answer: The Kokuryu sake glass, stylish and stemless, with an opening that's narrower than the widest part of the bowl to capture ginjo sake's aromatic qualities. There are two lines on the glass, the upper line indicates the 90ml mark and the bottom line, 45ml. If you want to sip just the right amount of sake for under 500 yen per glass, the Kokuryu sake glass is the answer. By making it easy and affordable to enjoy a variety of sakes, we can gradually open a door to the sake world that was once closed because of volume and price.

No matter how delicious the sake we make, there would be no point if people didn't drink it. We must always be in tune with the image of sake that's prevalent in the world. Kan tanoshi, Gin no Tobira and the Kokuryu sake glass were all created to broaden the market for kokushu, Japan's national drink. It's a simple goal, but one we will continue to pursue.

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