Delivery of Japanese sake now available in Singapore

"Sake World NFT" is a new marketplace where you can purchase NFTs (sake tickets) that can be exchanged for Japanese sake. You can purchase a sake ticket and enjoy it as is, or age it and sell it in secondary circulation.

Delivery service from Japan to Singapore will begin in November 2024.
A service has been launched that allows some of the sake offered on "Sake World NFT" to be purchased directly from Singapore. This allows sake fans in Singapore to further enjoy sake, from purchase to refrigerated storage.

In addition to being able to use the -5℃ below-zero aging storage service, it is also possible to pick up the sake locally. Sake fans living in Singapore will now be able to easily enjoy a wide variety of sake that was previously difficult to obtain outside of Japan.
*Due to legal and transportation restrictions, some alcohol cannot be delivered.

[I also want to read]
-What is NFT?
How to purchase here.From!
・Sake World NFT is here.

Welcome to the world of vintage sake

"Premium Aged Sake Night" was held in Singapore on February 2025, 2. It was an event where you could compare aged sakes that could be purchased with Sake World NFT. Many sake lovers gathered at the event venue, Uoji.

Aged sake is sake that has been stored and aged for 3 to 10 years, and sometimes even over 20 years. Its color can be amber or ruby ​​red, and it has a sweet aroma and flavor like caramel or honey, as well as a mature aroma derived from rice. It has also become increasingly popular in recent years due to its complex aroma and rich flavor.

There are no rules or regulations regarding the number of years or temperature for aging, and there are accidental products such as sake that just happen to have been lying dormant in the brewery and when you try it you find that it's delicious! There are also sakes that are specially bottled in jars and aged in a cool, dark place, sakes that are aged at around -5 degrees Celsius, where enzymes are said to have little activity, and even sakes that are aged at high temperatures using hot springs.

Impressions from participants

In recent years, sake has become increasingly popular around the world.
Singapore is one such country, with the value of sake exported to Singapore continuing to increase by 2022% year-on-year, reaching approximately 23 billion yen in 129.

One participant said, "In order to make sake more popular in Singapore, I think it is important to first increase the opportunities for people to learn about it. Many people are already aware of sake, but not enough is known about what types there are and how to enjoy it. In particular, I think an event like this featuring vintage sake is a very good initiative."

In Singapore, there is a wide variety of sake available, but I feel like there are still not many opportunities to try aged sake. In Singapore, the trend has long been that "sake means pure rice daiginjo," with Dassai playing a major role. However, in recent years, the trend has been gradually shifting, and fruity, sweet, and easy-to-drink "unfiltered raw sake" and "junmai sake" that lets you easily taste the rice are also popular.

"It's also important to communicate more about the culture and story of sake. In Singapore, alcoholic drinks with a story, like wine or whiskey, are popular, but the same is true for sake. I think that by learning about the history, production methods, and attention to detail of the brewery, people will feel more familiar with it. Also, it's key to suggest how to enjoy it."

Introduction of aged sake served at the event

Junmai Daiginjo sake aged for 5 years in a special refrigerator
"Eikun Izutsuya Ihei Shukumai 35% polished 5-year aged sake" (Saito Shuzo/Kyoto Prefecture)

Saito Sake Brewery was founded in 1895 in Kyoto, the center of sake brewing. The ancestors of the Saito family moved here from Senshu around the time of the Genroku era and ran a kimono business under the name Izutsuya Ihei. They continued to run the long-established business for eight generations before switching to sake brewing. The trademarks at the time were Yanagi Masamune and Otaka, but in commemoration of the enthronement of Emperor Taisho, they changed the name to "Eikun".

"Eikun Izutsuya Ihei Shukumai 35% Polished Five Year Aged Sake" is aged in a special refrigerated storage facility, which gives it a rich ginjo aroma and a mellow taste. It slides smoothly down the throat, leaving an elegant aftertaste. As it is a Junmai Daiginjo sake with a high rice polishing ratio of XNUMX%, unlike general aged sake, the color change and aged aroma are extremely subtle. As an "aged sake" different from the many "aged sakes," you can enjoy the aftertaste that the five years bring. This special aged sake is brewed with "shuku," a sake rice unique to Kyoto, and is limited to XNUMX bottles per year.

Click here for the sake brewery in this article

Saito Sake Brewery

京都

♯Sake brewery#Kyoto

A sake that has traveled through 35 years: Suwa Shuzo "Suwaizumi Junmai Aged Sake Time Travel Vintage 1989" (Suwa Shuzo/Tottori)

Suwa Sake Brewery is located in Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture, near the source of the Chiyo River, which carries sand to the Tottori Sand Dunes, and has long flourished as a forestry town. In this land blessed with forests, the brewery mainly uses carefully selected sake rice grown in the prefecture and underground water from the Chiyo River to brew sake that brings out the flavor. As a "100% pure rice brewery," the brewery is committed to pure rice sake, but at the same time, it is also working on aged sake.

The brewery's true essence is the Junmai Koshu series "Toki no Tabi". Among the many sakes that have been aged at room temperature in the brewery for over 20 to 30 years, "Suwaizumi Junmai Koshu Toki no Tabi Vintage 1989" is a gem that has been nurtured for 35 years. It is also a valuable sake because it was made in a time when added alcohol was the norm.

Click here for related articles

[Tottori Prefecture/Suwa Sake Brewery] We ask Director and COO Masahiko Higashida about the charm of sake's ``umami'' and ``aged sake.''

♯Tottori♯Aged sake

A rare product not available for general sale: "Senkonoiwa Daiginjo Koshu Shinsui" (Senkonoiwa Sake Brewery/Gifu)

"Senkonoiwa" is a local Gifu sake brewed with the utmost care and attention to quality using traditional techniques passed down by Echigo Toji brewers. It was named after the giant rock "Wakagoiwa" in the region, and is a reflection of the thousand years that have passed since its creation. The secret to its drinkability is the low hardness of the ultra-soft water used for brewing. It is a sake made using a laborious method that is not mass-produced, and has a mild aroma that makes it a great accompaniment to food.

"Senkonoiwa Daiginjo Koshu Shinsui" is a aged Daiginjo sake that won a gold medal at the National New Sake Tasting Competition, and is a secret sake that is not available for general sale. It was produced in 35 using Yamada Nishiki rice polished to 9% and Association No. 1987 yeast. Please try the rich flavor that has been aged for over 30 years.

Click here for the sake brewery in this article

Chikonoiwa Sake Brewery

Gifu

#Gifu♯Sake brewery

"SUIO" is a matured sake brewed in Hida Takayama in 1994 (Hirata Sake Brewery, Gifu)
Hirata Sake Brewery is committed to small-batch, handmade brewing with the motto "sake is something that is brewed and nurtured." "SUIO," brewed in Hida Takayama in 1994, is a gem of a matured sake that has finally been released to the world.

Brewed using traditional methods using Gifu-grown sake rice "Hida Minori" and Hida underground water. Matured for a long time in enamel tanks lined up at the back of the brewery, the amber-colored sake has a strong, complex aroma reminiscent of caramel, spices, dried shiitake mushrooms, honey, and more. When you put it in your mouth, a smooth flavor with a harmonious balance of sweetness and umami spreads, and the well-balanced acidity and bitterness create a deep aftertaste.

The taste of this sake also earned it the title of Champion Sake in the Japanese Sake category at the 2014 International Wine Challenge (IWC). The unique bottle design expresses the never-ending journey of aged sake. It features a triangle, which symbolizes rebirth and growth, a circle with one side missing, which represents imperfect perfection, and a paper streamer, which represents a barrier, on the seal.

In 2025, the year that marks the 150th anniversary of Hirata Shuzojo's founding, SUIO will become a 30-year-old vintage sake. We hope you will try its even more mature flavor.

Click here for the sake brewery in this article

Hirata Sake Brewery

Gifu

♯Sake brewery#Gifu

Aged Sake / Sake World The Potential of NFT

One customer who tried the aged sake commented, "It goes well with meals, of course, but also with things like chocolate and the fragrant cacao flavor. I now understand that the taste of the sake I drink every day changes by aging it, so I'd like to try it."

There are several types of sake aging, but Sake World NFT uses sub-zero aging at minus 5 degrees Celsius. They place importance on retaining a subtle fragrance while still retaining a certain amount of the gorgeous aroma, and on giving the sake a deeper flavor. They want to preserve the essence of sake.

[Sake World NFT] is the world's first digital marketplace dedicated to sake, and offers the purchase of around 500 types of sake. There is a wide lineup, from limited edition sake and rare varieties to unpasteurized and aged sake. Each sake can be shipped immediately or stored for a long time in a dedicated warehouse at -5 degrees. A dedicated NFT is issued for the stored sake, and users can enjoy buying and selling it between each other. Since it also has a selection of rare vintage sakes, we hope to provide new value for sake and become a site that attracts the attention of sake fans around the world.

Text: Sake World Editorial Department