What happens if you grew up in a country well-known and proud of its production of a national drink, and yet you couldn't take part in the craft?

Well, just ask Shuhei Okazumi.

Okazumi is part of small and niche group of craft Sake producers who've run into exactly that problem - wanting to make Sake, but aren't allowed to do so - and have thus found an entirely innovative way around it, by calling it craft Sake instead.

Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions - The Birth Of Craft Sake

Japan hasn't issued a Sake brewing license in over half a century - this was as the Sake industry, even though well-known and beloved around the world, has historically run into numerous booms and busts over the centuries. The country has thus sought to limit Sake brewing licenses as a way of keeping a lid on production, so as to disallow supply from overtaking demand, the most common cause of any bust. As such, Sake brewing has in a way become gate kept to those whose families were existing Sake brewers.

Okazumi working the rice.

Yet, as of late, several aspiring young Sake brewers have found that if they actively brewed Sake against the categorical classifications, they would be able to produce their therefore 'craft' Sakes under a more generic catch-all 'Other Brewing License'. This meant that not only did their process have to be deliberately different, but that they could not call their products 'Sake'. These craft brewers, such as Okazumi, have thus focused on imbuing their Sakes with fruits, florals, and other non-traditional ingredients that would typically look out of place in a standard Sake recipe. They've produced Sakes with fruity, floral or even chocolate-y flavours, or have also taken a page out of craft beer brewing, and have added beer hops to their Sakes. They also typically avoid the Daiginjo trend of competing to see who can mill their rice to the highest polishing ratio, and so much of their work comes in the form of pairing flavours with their Sakes, instead of polishing down rice. 

The Sake industry as a means to revitalise rural Japan.

A New Form Of Social Entrepreneurship Through Craft Sake Has Become Popular In Japan

This has worked out well for these craft brewers as on the one hand, they've sought to rejuvenate local interest in Sakes to the youth who today often think of Sake as being boring or overly traditional, and on the hand are able to avoid requiring numerous staff and large capital expenditures needed to run a scaled up brewery. This also ties in with a more youthful interest in sustainability, as these craft brewers tend to keep rice polishing ratios at 90% (meaning only 10% of the rice is milled off) so as to preserve the authentic flavours of the rice and its terroir, which in turn requires the rice to be grown organically, as it is in fact the protein husk of the rice which comes from the use of fertilizers that impart an unwanted flavour in the Sake.

Contrary to the Daiginjo ethos, rice needs not be polished heavily if it is grown organically.

Many of these craft Sake brewers are also typically motivated by social causes that revolve around the themes of helping to revitalise key parts of Japan, with the hope that their craft brewery would be able to draw crowds to less populous parts of Japan, and would create jobs for farmers who can bring back agriculture to these areas as well.

All those ideals are captured in Ine to Agave's Okazumi.

Okazumi, who founded Ine to Agave to revitalise Oga City. 

A Man On A Mission, And Sake Is Just The Canvas

Okazumi studied Business in college, and has since established his own craft Sake brewery in Oga City of the Akita Prefecture, Ine to Agave (which is taken to mean "Rice and Agave"), and yet unlike most Business students he is not motivated by wealth, and set apart from most Sake brewers, he wasn't all that passionate about Sake. What then drives Okazumi is the hope that his efforts will pay off in helping to revitalise the increasingly desolate Oga City, and to create jobs for more people - a no less noble goal.

Okazumi with the Ine to Agave team.

In Okazumi's words, he had felt that he might not fit into the conventional life path that most of his peers would pursue, working in an office job, and thus decided that he would be better off starting a business. When he had learnt that businesses are ultimately what creates jobs, this resonated deeply with Okazumi and set him off in search of some sort of business to start.

As it so happened, he had enjoyed Sake, but initially thought it best to not start a business on the basis of something he simply enjoyed, yet he thought that if he was familiar with the Sake business, perhaps he could one day start a restaurant of his own. He would begin regularly trying different Sakes, and on one chance encounter, he found himself pleasantly surprised by how good Aramasa's Sake was! Aramasa is of course today highly regarded. A conversation with the restaurant owner ultimately resulted in a message sent to Sato Yusuke, the owner of Aramasa, who would ultimately take Okazumi in for training.

What started out as a simple love for Sake, has become so much more.

What was meant to be a 2-year Sake brewing stint, proved to be so enjoyable for Okazumi that he ended up staying with Aramasa for four and a half years!

With that great experience in hand, it's no surprise then that Okazumi would now endeavour to start his own Sake brewery, which was ultimately where he faced the obstacle of not being able to receive a brewing license. Whilst Okazumi was quick to hone in on the opportunity to create craft Sake as opposed to traditional Sake, he remains resolute that an overhaul in the system is necessary to revitalise the Sake industry, as new entrants are more likely to bring in new ideas and be more responsive to changing consumer preferences. To that end, Okazumi even founded the recently formed Craft Sake Brewery Association.

Doburoku style Sakes are making a comeback because of craft brewers.

Establishing The New Craft Sake Order

With craft Sake as the only avenue for Okazumi to be able to start his own brewery, he would first sought to gain experience in producing non-standard Sakes, that are ironically more historically traditional than the clear and pure liquid Sakes that are the default today. Okazumi would serve as the first head brewer for Konohanano Brewery, a pioneer in the revitalisation of the Doburoku style of completely unfiltered Sakes. The Doburoku style of Sake leaves in the bottle large rice grains and rice mash, which together comes across more as a rice pudding or rice porridge instead of being pure liquid. This was a style that was outlawed for the better part of the past century, as a means of the tax office deterring homebrewing which was difficult to tax.

The coastal town of Oga City whilst wonderful and scenic, has seen many leave for more populous cities.

After spending 3 more years in Konohanano brewery, he would finally decide to settle down in Oga City, opting to remain in the Akita Prefecture where he had learned the ropes at Aramasa brewery - he had felt welcomed in the region and had made many friends, and had thus wanted to give back despite himself hailing from the Fukuoka Prefecture. Ine to Agave brewery would begin its work in 2021.

Why Oga City? Going Against The (Rice) Grain

Oga City is not one that even most locals might be familiar with, or have even spent any time in. It's a coastal city located at the western tip of the Akita Prefecture, and has been experiencing a rapid decline in population. Despite it being thought of as an enjoyable city to live in, it's seen its youths move to larger cities, whilst the remaining population ages.

As a result, when Okazumi had met with the mayor of Oga to gain permission to start up his brewery there, to his surprise the mayor was incredibly receptive and supportive. Okazumi was able to quickly find a quality source of water and a place to set up his brewery, and coul even secure a loan from the local bank. This all the more motivates Okazumi to think that if he could succeed, he could perhaps raise the profile of the city and draw people to Oga instead.

The Ine to Agave brewery.

The Anti-Daiginjo Philosophy

Okazumi would name his brewery Ine to Agave, which as mentioned, is taken to mean "Rice to Agave". This might intrigue those who know Agave to be the plant primarily used to produce Mezcal and Tequila, yet with Okazumi's brewery, it is the agave syrup that is used as the necessary secondary component that puts his drinks out of the "Sake" classification, and into the "craft Sake" one instead. The two ingredients, rice and agave are both grown locally in the Oga area.

Okazumi has surprisingly found himself a pioneer in the craft beer movement.

Okazumi has also carried over the philosophy he's embraced at Konohanano Brewery, where he focuses on "polishing the technique, not the rice", the very mantra that runs counter to the Daiginjo trend, and has become the ethos of craft Sake brewers. Here he keeps all milling down to 90% (meaning only 10% of the rice is polished off) as mentioned, which therefore necessitates the use of organically grown rice that is without chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and in turn can be seen as also avoiding food loss (as edible rice is too milled to 90%).

Okazumi has expanded to ramen shops, cafes, and is now helping to refurbish vacant houses.

A Strong Start With More To Follow

Today Ine to Agave has become a poster child for the craft Sake movement, most incredibly, all achieved out of the refurbished old Oga Station building! The brewery has quickly begun to explore various types of flavour pairings where the secondary ingredient used in the Sake brewing goes well together with the underlying Sake, and that is appealing to the youth. Okazumi has also successively seen changes made to the local regulations on Sake breweries, where craft Sake brewers are now allowed to sell for export standard Sake without the use of secondary ingredients - that is, classical Sakes.

As part of Ine to Agave's sustainability efforts, the sheer amount of Sake lees to be discarded has been turned into everything from soft serve ice cream, to milkshakes and even mayo.

With Okazumi's goal of creating jobs and adding to the vibrance of Oga City, he's also begun to expand the scope of his work to opening restaurants, ramen stalls and cafes, as well as drawing folks to come to Oga City to help renovate vacant houses, converting them into useable commercial units. One such rejuvenation project has been repurposed into a processing plant where the discarded Sake lees (or Sake kasu) is turned into seasonings and food products, such as a Koji Mayo and Sake Lees ice cream!

And today, we have with us courtesy of Omu Nomu (a Singapore-based craft Sake bar that specialises in showcasing more of such non-traditional Sakes) something very special from Ine to Agave. This is the brewery's Koshu Hanakaze, "Hana" being the Japanese name for hops, and "Kaze" in reference to the strong winds of Oga. The term "Koshu" is the name of the craft Sake category that Okazumi is pushing for to be known, and is a combination of the terms "Seishu" and "Doburoku", which he believes represents a blending of standard and craft Sake practices.

This Koshu Hanakaze makes use of hops as the secondary ingredient to the craft Sake, or Koshu, and has the words "Hanafu" written in calligraphy on the label, which is a combination of the word for hops and Doburoku.

Let's give this a go! 

Sake Review: Ine to Agave Koshu Hanakaze PROTOTYPE | 稲とアガベ 交酒 花風 PROTOTYPE

Tasting Notes

Colour: Cloudy White / Nama Sake

Aroma: Bright and gentle notes of muscats and white grapes, with an outline of fragrant aromatically floral hops, almost like walking into a cool greenhouse.

Taste: Sweeter here with a deep richness. It's medium-bodied, with a light floral and green quality to it that's very well integrated - there's no bitterness here at all. A really nicely rich body that's has a good weight and almost lightly velvety texture. A deep sweetness of rice really comes through, and it does so in an entirely elegant way, almost Champagne like, lightly effervescent almost yet with what feels like a fuller body.

Finish: More of the light and bright green hoppiness, with just a slight hoppy bitterness at the end.

My Thoughts

A really tasty craft Sake that's bright, floral and aromatic, yet rich and bodied, with a nice balance between sweet richness and a slight green bitterness! This is definitely beyond any standard Sake you'll ever try and overlaps into anything from craft IPA to champagne, with a really unique effervescence coupled with that floral and gentle bitter hoppiness that comes through. What really struck me was the complexity as well as the balance that this had - it pretty much reframed the entire Sake flavour profile into an entirely new order of its own, and yet expressed it so well and with such balance across the new flavours that's being introduced.

Whether you're just getting into Sakes or a seasoned Sake lover - especially if you're a seasoned Sake lover! - you have got to give Ine to Agave a try because this is where Sake is headed and craft Sake is only picking up steam and popularity. It is - bar none - the next frontier of Sakes, so we all better get acquainted with it! This is sure to completely reassemble whatever you know about Sakes!