Under the Liquor Tax Act, sake is defined as "a product made by fermenting and straining rice, rice koji, and water," or "a product made by fermenting and straining rice, water, sake lees, rice koji, and other items specified by government ordinance." Because of this, we may be stuck in the idea that sake = rice alcohol, and unable to break out of that framework.

The "800 Soba" being offered for sale at Sake World NFT is an innovative sake that overturns these stereotypes. We interviewed Imai, who is considering the concept of sake, which is based on rice cultivation that has been practiced for over 2000 years, and the sake brewing techniques that will connect it to the future, to find out more about the appeal of this product.

[I also want to read]
-What is Sake World NFT?
・How to purchase sake NFTclick hereFrom!
・Sake World NFTLet's look for some sake!

I spoke to this person

LINNÉ Representative and Brewer Shoya Imai

Profile

Graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo. After joining Oisix, he began training at Aramasa Sake Brewery, Masuda Sake Brewery, Abe Sake Brewery, and Hijiri Sake Brewery in 2015, while also co-founding WAKAZE in 2016. He will become independent and found LINNÉ in 2024. His family originates from Hijiri Sake Brewery in Gunma, which was founded in 1841.

The philosophy is to spread diversity in food culture

-Please tell us about LINNÉ's initiatives.
Imai (omitted): "LINNÉ was founded in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture in 2024 with the desire to unlock the unknown possibilities of koji. The name comes from the naturalist Carl von Linnaeus, and our philosophy is to expand the diversity of food culture, inspired by a wide variety of ingredients and uniquely Japanese concepts."

LINNÉ has ​​been operating as a "phantom brewery" without a fixed brewery, utilizing the newly established "Self-Trademark Alcohol Wholesale License" system (which allows them to sell alcohol produced at other companies' facilities under their own brand) established in 2012. The "800 Soba" being offered on Sake World NFT this time was brewed at Abe Sake Brewery in Niigata Prefecture.

Click here for related articles

[Kyoto/LINNÉ]
Brewer Shoya Imai paves the way for the future of sake beyond rice

#Kyoto#Craft salmon

Brewing sake on a timeline that transcends lifespan

-Please tell us about the 800.

"800 (Yao) uses a different koji from rice koji, which is the main ingredient in existing sake, and is based on a 'cross-botanical' brewing method that combines multiple plant-derived ingredients. The name comes from the Japanese character 'Yao', which means 'the number of things', and we aim to achieve 'production on a time axis that transcends lifespan.'"

-What are the characteristics of the 800 soba noodles being exhibited this time?

"800 Soba is a sake made with soba koji, which is made from buckwheat, rather than traditional rice koji. We use Omachi rice, which has been polished to about 60%, as the kakemai, and aim for a slow-ripening sake that can be used in situations such as aging and warming. There are many fresh sakes in the current sake and craft sake scene, but when it comes to strict temperature control for distribution around the world, it becomes difficult to do anything. We chose Omachi rice as the kakemai because we felt that its character, which can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace like white wine and can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dark place, matches the worldview of the rice."

-What difficulties did you face in manufacturing?

"Soba has small grains and is sticky, which is similar to the properties of highly polished rice, which exposes the starch. For this reason, this product utilizes the techniques cultivated in ginjo sake brewing. Soba koji is a completely new ingredient, but the foundation of this sake is made possible by the rice techniques that have been passed down over many years."

-What temperature and time do you use when making koji?

"Depending on the ingredients, it may be necessary to make changes, but in the case of soba koji, we apply the same techniques as for ginjo brewing, so it is basically the same as for rice."

-Why do you use ingredients other than rice?

"We want to support the dire situation where breweries will have no choice but to go out of business without rice, and to be able to respond as a technology for temporary and medium- to long-term preparedness. At the same time as taking this defensive stance, we also have an offensive stance, believing that as long as we have the technology to make koji, sake can be made even in 'rice-free regions.' When we were making sake at WAKAZE FRANCE, we chose rice because we happened to have rice locally, but if we were to brew sake in the same way in France today, I think we would choose buckwheat as the raw material. Buckwheat is more familiar than rice, as seen in the local dish galette, and it is resistant to dryness, so it means that sake can be made even in areas with no water.

Until now, sake has been likened to the world of ink painting. It has been expressed through brush strokes and the shades of shadows, but with the advent of craft sake, sake brewing has acquired "color." However, since the "brushes" used are the same, at LINNÉ we think that increasing the number of brushes equals increasing the amount of koji.

The 800 was also heavily inspired by shrine carpenters. Shrine carpenters have a huge number of chisels and planes as carpentry tools. I think of koji as being to a brewer what knives are to a chef, and what swords were to samurai in the past. I felt that the chisels and planes of shrine carpenters are also comparable, so I had a shrine carpenter in Kyoto draw the design for the 800.

Available for purchase with Sake World NFT

-How did you come to list Sake World NFTs?

"We were approached about this from an early stage, but we were still in the preparation stage for LINNÉ, and not even half of the alcohol lineup had been completed yet. We started preparing little by little, and will be launching the product once things have settled down."

- Expectations for long-term cryopreservation

"I feel that sake still lacks the worldview of slowly aging, like wine, which adds value. I empathize with the approach of taking on the challenge of long-term, low-temperature storage and the market that is premised on that, combined with the new technology of NFTs."

I want to take on uncharted territory

-What materials do you plan to use in the future?

- "Rice polishing technology for sake has reached 0%, and we have already seen rice smaller than brown rice. Therefore, we can apply the same techniques to small ingredients like buckwheat. In the future, I would like to try my hand at making koji using ingredients larger than rice, such as potatoes and chestnuts, which are unexplored territory."

-Does this also apply to animal-based ingredients?

"Yes, there are cases where dairy products are turned into alcoholic beverages, and the honey used to make mead is technically an insect-based product. We tried this in Sangenjaya in the past, but there are also alcoholic beverages that use dashi stock such as dried bonito flakes. If we go even further and think of 'alcohol' as a material made by humans, then perhaps techniques such as kijoshu and alcohol addition could also be considered in the same position."

We tend to take for granted that sake is rice. The challenge of going beyond this framework and incorporating a variety of ingredients is not just an innovation in sake brewing techniques, but also an attempt to shed new light on food culture as a whole and brew into the future.

Sake, which has been refined by the Japanese people over many years, has continued to change with the times and technological innovation. This journey and LINNÉ's challenge overlap, and this new page in history will surely be a sure step towards the future.

Writer: Yuki Arai
Born in Shiga Prefecture, currently living in Kyoto City
A freelance writer who conveys the culture and stories of sake. After graduating from university, he got a job at a liquor store in Kyoto, then worked in sales at a food manufacturer before going independent. With Japanese sake as his main theme, he conveys the thoughts of the brewers and the stories behind each glass of sake.
JSA SAKE DIPLOMA, Wine Expert, SSI Certified Sake Master, Sake Studies Instructor