How is sake being received in the land of freedom, the United States of America? In this article, Yoko Ishikawa, a writer living in the "city of luck," Las Vegas, reports on the latest developments.
We will report on the current state of sake, which is going beyond the boundaries of Japanese cuisine and is becoming integrated into local food culture.

What kind of city is Las Vegas?

Las Vegas, located in the state of Nevada in the western United States, can be reached by plane in about an hour from Los Angeles in California. As one of the world's leading gambling cities, many people associate Las Vegas with casinos.
The huge casino hotels lining the Las Vegas Strip are bustling with neon lights all day long, but the city's appeal isn't just its casinos.

Located near the Mojave Desert, the city is also known as the gateway to the Grand Circle (an area dotted with national parks and monuments in five southwestern states), and there are many spots in the surrounding area where you can enjoy the spectacular natural scenery unique to the United States. Las Vegas is a unique city where you can enjoy both the glittering neon lights and the vast nature.
Many of the local residents are from outside the state, creating an environment that is receptive to new experiences and cultures. The whole city exudes an open atmosphere to the unknown.

America and alcohol

The alcohol situation in America varies greatly from region to region due to the country's vast size.
Beer, hard seltzer, wine, cocktails, etc. are popular throughout the U.S. Among them, the U.S. is the world's number one exporter of sake*, clearly indicating the remarkable growth of the sake market.
*From a press release from the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association dated February 2024.2.8, XNUMX

The popularity of sake has certainly spread to Las Vegas, and at the tasting event held at the LV Japan Fair in September 2024, many visitors enjoyed comparing different brands. This once again demonstrated the growing interest in sake.

Sake in Las Vegas

If you want to buy Japanese sake, go to a Japanese market

Although the popularity of sake is certainly spreading, retailers that carry a wide range of sake are still in the minority in Las Vegas.
The alcohol section of supermarkets and liquor stores are filled with all kinds of alcoholic drinks, including beer, wine, and whiskey, but sake makes up an extremely small proportion of them.
For example, at a supermarket I frequent, there are over 200 types of wine, but only 3-4 brands of sake, which sit quietly in a corner of the wine shelves.

On the other hand, Japanese markets and discount stores specializing in alcohol are gradually increasing the number of brands and varieties they carry. These stores offer a wide range of choices, with brands familiar in Japan such as Kurosawa, Kikusui, Suigei, Dewazakura, Kubota, and Dassai.

A fusion of cuisine and sake across genres

The presence of sake in restaurants is different from that in retail stores.
In the past, only a limited number of brands were offered at Japanese restaurants and sushi shops, but in recent years, sake has been making inroads across the boundaries of various business types, including Asian and fusion restaurants, ramen shops, and tonkatsu restaurants. A wide variety of brands are being added to the lineup one after another.

A typical izakaya drinks menu will consist of beer, wine, highballs, chuhai, distilled spirits such as whiskey, and soju (Korean shochu), as well as a large selection of Japanese sake brands.
Fusion restaurants are increasingly offering sake on their menus in addition to cocktails, wine, and beer. Daiginjo and ginjo sake are categorized as "premium sake," and brands such as "Suigei," "Dewazakura," "Hakkaisan," and "Dassai" are often offered in the price range of around $720 to $50 (approximately 150 to 7000 yen) for a 21,000 ml bottle.

Furthermore, at high-end establishments that boast fresh fish shipped directly from Japan, such as omakase style or kaiseki restaurants, it is not uncommon to find sake bottles that cost more than $200 (approximately 28,000 yen).

Here in Las Vegas, sake has gone beyond the boundaries of Japanese cuisine and can now be paired with a wide variety of dishes, and the brands offered are becoming more diverse. I feel that interest in and understanding of sake is growing among people with a strong desire to discover food, and I am convinced that sake is becoming an essential part of the Las Vegas food scene.

Writer: Yoko Ishikawa
Freelance writer / Japanese Sake Adviser (SSI) / WSET Level 1 / Born in Tokyo / Living in Las Vegas, USA.
After discovering delicious sake here, he opened his eyes to Japanese sake. Recently, he not only enjoys drinking sake, but also brewing it at home.
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