In Japan, it is often said that "people who like alcohol don't like sweet things," but this is probably an unfounded myth. I myself love alcohol, but I like sweet things even more.
There is a next-generation sweet treat that is sure to make those who love both alcohol and sweets drool. It's called "SAKEICE." As the name suggests, it is ice cream made with plenty of sake.

Currently, "SAKEICE" can be purchased online or at various retailers, but the only brick-and-mortar store in Japan, "SAKEICE Tokyo Shop," is located at Tokyo Station. I visited the store because I heard that you can eat the sake fresh.

The world's first high-alcohol sake ice cream

"SAKEICE Tokyo Shop" is located about a five-minute walk from Tokyo Station. Surrounded by high-rise buildings, the warm, wooden interior of the shop catches your eye.
They normally sell 2 different kinds of ice cream, including 8 non-alcoholic and 10 alcoholic varieties. On the day we visited, they were also collaborating with Ozeki Josen One Cup.

The brands of ice cream used are changed periodically, so even if you visit repeatedly, you can expect to encounter new flavors.
On this day, we had two types of drinks recommended by the store manager, Hitomi Fukushima: "Fizzing Pistachio" and "Rice and Agave Coffee Doburoku."

"Sparkling Pistachio" was created through a collaboration between Fukuoka Prefecture brewery "LIBROM" and "SAKEICE."
The balance between the savory flavor of the pistachios and the richness of the milk was excellent, and with just the right amount of alcohol, I found myself eating it in no time.

"Rice and Agave Coffee Doburoku" has an impressive adult taste with the bitterness of coffee and a strong alcoholic taste. The unique "moromi" of doburoku is left intact, and the texture is really "interesting."

The taste, aroma, and flavor all differ depending on the flavor. This is similar to comparing different types of sake, which was fun.

The secret to the flavor that only "SAKEICE" can offer

What surprised me when I actually tried "SAKEICE" this time was that the flavor of the sake remained stronger than I expected. The mellow aroma reached my nose just as much as when I drank it neat.
On top of that, you can really taste the alcohol, so after just one bite you'll feel tipsy. As it slowly dissolves in your mouth, you can slowly enjoy the flavor of the sake.

I was also surprised at how well-made the ice cream was.
It doesn't have the forced feel of simply mixing sake into it, but has a smooth texture and just the right amount of sweetness, making it a solid ice cream. It left me with a sense of satisfaction and happiness, just like eating a luxurious dessert.

This is no surprise, as the flavors for "SAKEICE" are developed by professional pastry chefs, who bring out the best in the flavor of sake and elevate it to the deliciousness of ice cream.
To achieve this balance, they seem to put a great deal of time and effort into flavor development.

As the product is advertised as "Japan's first high-alcohol sake ice cream," it is technically very difficult to freeze sake while maintaining its alcohol content. For example, if you stick a bottle of sake in a freezer, the contents will not freeze.
This is one of the reasons why, until now, the only ice creams available on the market were those containing sake lees or with an alcohol content of less than 1%, meaning that the flavor of alcohol was barely noticeable.

Among them, "SAKEICE" has succeeded in freezing sake while preserving its alcohol content by using a special technique that is a trade secret. Without this, the taste that is "this is the real sake ice cream!" could not be realized.

Communication with sake breweries is the key to development

But why did they decide to take on the challenge of developing the technically difficult "high alcohol sake ice cream"? I spoke to Hiroyuki Narita of Edamame Co., Ltd., who is in charge of the project.

—The "SAKEICE" project seems to have been a difficult undertaking technically. What prompted you to start working on it?

"Our company was originally a freezing technology consulting company, and we helped various customers with product development. When momentum began to build to create our own original products, we started looking for something that would have an impact."

"And since we were going to take advantage of our technology, we wanted to try something challenging that only our company could do, so we set our sights on ice cream using alcohol. As you know, alcohol is hard to freeze and melts easily, so technically it is quite difficult to turn it into ice cream. After much trial and error, we decided on sake, not only because it is simply delicious, but also because it brings out the distinct flavors of each brand."

--After planning began, how long did it take to launch the product?

"To be honest, I wanted to move forward quickly, but it ended up taking about a year and a half. First of all, we had to make more than 1 prototypes in order to freeze something that doesn't freeze in the first place. It also took time to negotiate with the National Tax Agency."

"Under the law at the time, making products with an alcohol content of 1% or more was considered alcohol brewing, and required a liquor brewing license. After about six months of negotiating, we were finally able to get the legal interpretation changed to say that if certain conditions were met, it would not be considered alcohol brewing," and we were able to launch the product."

--It must have taken a lot of enthusiasm to get the National Tax Agency involved. Where did that enthusiasm come from?

"Until now, high-alcohol ice cream had not been developed because of the barrier of the sake brewing law. But I saw this as an opportunity. If we could overcome that barrier, we could sell a groundbreaking product. In the food industry, competitors tend to appear quickly, and in the end, the big companies tend to be dominant. I felt that we had found a good 'gap' and that it was a business opportunity."

"Also, through my involvement with the sake industry, I began to think that I could somehow help with 'SAKEICE', which was another reason I was able to persevere. The sake market continues to shrink, falling to about 3% of its peak. I love sake myself, so I felt it was worthwhile to work hard, hoping that I could be of some positive help to the industry."

—What are some of the ways in which you are actually contributing to the sake industry?

"Honestly, it's difficult to have a big impact on sales in the sake industry as a whole. However, we feel that our work is rewarding when we can make even a single yen in profit without interfering with the breweries' business. In dealing with sake breweries across the country, I've noticed that they all struggle to reach out to women in their 1s and 20s. On the other hand, about 30% of SAKEICE's customers are young women. I think that being able to appeal to a target audience that has never previously been aware of the appeal of sake is a unique strength of SAKEICE."

"In fact, sake breweries are also feeling a sense of crisis about the shrinking sake market, and have already tried to a certain extent new things like cosmetics and sparkling wine. Among them, our proposal for 'ice cream' seems to have been a bit of a novelty."

—What do you currently value as you work on the "SAKEICE" project?

"It's about making the most of the flavor of the sake that the brewery is particular about. When developing a flavor, we always send a prototype to the brewery to have them taste it. We ask for feedback, and only those that the brewery is happy with the flavor are put on the shelves. After all, I think the most important thing is to create something that the brewery can recommend with confidence."

—What are your future prospects?

"We plan to put more effort into expanding overseas. We have already established a corporation in Taiwan as a new production base, and we hope to start full-scale operations within the year. Taiwan is currently experiencing an unprecedented sake boom, and sales have been strong since we began exporting about two years ago. Also, about 2% of our customers at the SAKEICE Tokyo Shop are from overseas, and the response has been very good. We hope to expand to more countries in the future, and that SAKEICE will become an opportunity for people overseas to learn about the appeal of sake."

Give it a try!

As mentioned at the beginning, you can purchase SAKEICE in cups from their online shop or at select stores, but we highly recommend that you also visit the SAKEICE Tokyo Shop.

The main reason for this is that you can enjoy "SAKEICE" fresh, but you can also sample sake and craft sake from all over Japan and purchase the ones you like on the spot.
The brands used in the flavors on display in the store are also sold in bottles, and there is also a great service for alcohol lovers called the "Kadouchi Challenge," where you can drink all you want from over 15 types of alcohol for 1,000 minutes for 10 yen.

On the other hand, many people who say they don't like alcohol also visit the SAKEICE Tokyo Shop.
"SAKEICE" seems to allow people, especially young women, who would like to try sake but are put off by its high alcohol content or their own tendency to get drunk, to try it out without hesitation.
Not only those who like alcohol, but even those who don't like alcohol but have even the slightest interest in sake should definitely try it. I guarantee you'll be amazed by its deliciousness.

As someone with a sweet tooth, I'm looking forward to enjoying this new and exciting dessert as a snack.

Writer: Kondo Sena
A freelance writer living in Tokyo. She likes sweet Junmai sake with a strong rice flavor. She is currently studying sake every day.
X: @sena_kondo