"Ancient Biju" is a brand specializing in aged liquor developed by Takumi Sosei Co., Ltd., an in-house venture launched by Pasona Group Inc. in 2020.
With "traditional sake brewing" attracting attention after being registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, this is an effort to create value in "aging" and connect sake culture to the future.
A new product aimed at women and young people was released from the "Kosoki no Biju" series on March 3rd. In conjunction with this, a press conference and tasting event was held, with Takumi Sosei's President and CEO Akihiko Yasumura (hereafter, Yasumura-san) and Tottori Prefecture's Umezu Sake Brewery Chairman Masanori Umezu (hereafter, Umezu-san) taking to the stage.

"Ancient fine wines" that create value through aging and make traditional industries sustainable

Takumi Sosei Co., Ltd. was established in 2017 as an in-house venture by the Pasona Group, which owns many companies including temporary staffing agencies. In 2020, it launched a brand specializing in aged sake, "Inishie no Biju."

Since the 1970s, the Japanese sake industry has been experiencing a steady decline in consumption due to the influx of Western alcohol and changes in lifestyle. Over the past 50 years, the number of licensed sake breweries, or sake breweries, has fallen from around 3500 to 1500.
In addition, in recent years, young people have been increasingly turning away from alcohol, creating a tough situation for the industry. Even when compared to the market size of the global alcohol industry, Japanese alcohol is far behind Western alcoholic beverages such as wine and whiskey.
One of the reasons why the markets for Western liquor and Japanese sake are so different is that the market for 'high-end liquor' is expanding. And most of that high-end liquor is vintage, or aged.

In fact, in the world of Japanese sake, there is a culture of enjoying aging at the Imperial Court, where sake aged for nine years, known as "Kunenshu," has been used at Imperial Court events since the Asuka period. Even today, "Kunenshu" is used at wedding ceremonies in the Imperial Family (although the Imperial Court's sake brewing license was abolished during the Meiji period, so the "Kunenshu" used today is different from that time).
"Because of that history, we want to create a market in which vintages of sake and shochu are fairly evaluated around the world," Yasumura said during a press conference.

Akihiko Yasumura, President and CEO of Takumi Sousei Co., Ltd.

Since 2019, Yasumura has personally visited 1500 sake breweries across the country to investigate their aged sake holdings. In the following year, 2020, together with 33 sake breweries, he launched the long-term aged sake brand "Kokosoki no Bishu," which is based on a standard of 10 years of aging, and opened a flagship store, "Koshu no Ya," on Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture, where the company is headquartered, with a shop and bar lounge attached.
The "Kosoki no Biju" brand sells premium blended aged liquor with a taste that cannot be produced by a single brand, and to promote the value of "aging," they have actively held pairing events with chocolate and French cuisine, as well as promotions for inbound tourists. They have entered and won numerous awards in competitions held around the world, and are beginning to expand globally, starting with France.

On the other hand, the longer the aging period, the more storage space and storage costs put a strain on the brewery. In order to reduce the burden and solve management issues, in 2023, a joint sake storage facility called "Japanese Aged Sake Breweries" was opened in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture. Currently, 58 brands from 155 partner breweries are stored in room temperature tanks. Takumi Sosei is not only creating value from aging, but is also working hard to make sake brewing a sustainable traditional industry.

Umezu, who appeared on stage with Yasumura, expressed his gratitude for the initiative, saying, "Sake breweries are good at making sake, but they are not good at communicating its quality to customers. Having you help us with that aspect will cover the area where we are most lacking, so we have high hopes for it."

Umezu Masanori, Chairman of Umezu Sake Brewery Ltd.

A new type of aged sake that even those who don't like alcohol should try

From the 155 brands gathered at "Japan's Aged Sake Breweries," new products "Kosoki no Biju GOLD" and "Kosoki no Biju Umehibiki" were blended with the concept of "aged sake that is popular with young people and women."

"GOLD" is a blend of 1999 Fukumitsuya from Ishikawa Prefecture, 2000 Asahigawa Shuzo from Yamagata Prefecture, and 2010 Honda Shoten from Hyogo Prefecture. "It's a sake that people who don't like sake should try."
The market for sake lovers is shrinking, and there is a tendency for people to distance themselves from alcohol itself, so this was born out of a strategy to attract people who have chosen not to drink alcohol.

"When you ask people who don't like sake why, many say it's the stinging alcohol in the mouth, and we also hear people say that the sweetness doesn't develop as easily as with wine, cocktails, or liqueurs. So this time, from among 155 brands, we blended a mellow, balanced type from Fukumitsuya, a more sour type from Asahigawa Shuzo, and a sweet type from Honda Shoten in an exquisite ratio. All of them are gold medal-winning sakes, and the umami, sourness, sweetness, and bitterness of each flavor are harmoniously balanced to create a mellow, easy-to-drink, new type of sake," says Yasumura.

"Ancient Fine Wine GOLD"

The concept of "Umebiki" is "a plum wine that plum wine lovers will drool over." It is a blend of two types of long-aged plum wine: 2006 from Umezu Shuzo in Tottori Prefecture and 2007 from Nakano BC in Wakayama Prefecture. Both are based on shochu.
Umeshu is extremely popular overseas, but in order to pursue a more refined flavor that is different from the traditional sweet and mellow plum wine, Umezu Sake Brewery's plum wine is aged for a short period in bourbon barrels before blending, which adds a slight sweetness and bitterness to the blend.
Umezu commented on the tasting, "It has a stylish, sophisticated and crisp finish, but also shows the changes that come with aging. With an alcohol content of 20%, I think it has the potential to be enjoyed in a variety of ways, such as on the rocks or with carbonated water. However, while tasting it, I personally felt that the range of flavors would be better enjoyed at room temperature than chilled."

"Ancient Fine Liquor Umekyo"

Not only the taste of the sake, but also the packaging shows that they have put a lot of care into it.
Until now, the products have been sold with black-based labels, but from now on, the designs will be changed to make them more appealing to young people and women. "GOLD" has a label in Japan's representative red vermilion color, while "Umebiki" has a traditional plum-colored label, making for a modern Japanese design that is perfect for celebrations and gifts. Sales are currently limited to the official online shop.

Ancient wine GOLD 1999,2000,2010
Contents: Sake 375ml/bottle
Alcohol frequency: 17 degrees or more and less than 18 degrees
Price: XNUM X yen (tax included)
purchase:https://oldvintage.jp/products/blend_gold

Ancient and beautiful sake Umekyo 2006,2007
Contents: liqueur 350ml/bottle
Alcohol frequency: 20 degrees or more and less than 21 degrees
Price: XNUM X yen (tax included)
purchase:https://oldvintage.jp/products/umehibiki

With suggestions for how to drink it freely, it's a bottle that can be enjoyed in many different ways.

At the tasting event, we were able to taste both "GOLD" and "Umekyo."
"GOLD" has a rich caramel aroma and a strong acidic flavor.
Its alcohol content is in the 17% range, which is higher than regular sake, but the molecules have clustered during aging, giving it a smooth texture. Taking advantage of its alcohol content, it is suggested to drink it on the rocks or add soda to make it like a highball, and we were able to try each of these variations. When ice or soda is added, the sweetness is accentuated by hints of dry straw and wheat, and a three-dimensional layered aroma emerges. You can enjoy many different flavors with just one bottle.

Although Umebiki has a smoky aroma and a hint of vanilla flavor from being aged in bourbon barrels, its core is its "plum-ness." The solid fruitiness of plums dominates the flavor, emanating a strong presence.
It is mellow, yet refined, with a pleasant bitterness appearing in the aftertaste before disappearing. A regular plum wine was also prepared for comparison, and by tasting the two, the difference in flavor was even more pronounced.
In addition, two types of Umekyo with different color schemes on the labels were lined up in the tasting area, and according to Matsumoto Daisuke, sommelier and manager of Takumi Sosei's flagship store, Koshu no Ya, "the color scheme is reversed between the version for regular sales and the version for duty-free shops."

Adding new value to tradition and connecting it to the future through innovation

Following the release of "GOLD" and "Umebiki," three more types are scheduled to be released this year. They are aiming to create products that will appeal not only to Japanese people, but to young people and women around the world.
"We would like to create an amazing aged sake, so please look forward to it," says Yasumura.

"Ancient fine sake" is an old but modern-day creation that combines the techniques of sake brewing and the artisanal world of maturation to create new value.
With its registration as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, the sake industry is gaining attention and is sure to play a part in fusing tradition with innovation and passing on the culture of sake brewing to the future.

Writer: Arika Mito
Living in Tokyo / Sake/Japanese writer, Japanese teacher, Sake taster
A writer and teacher who is active in the "two (Japanese) pillars" of Japanese and sake. Her favorite brand is ``Yamato Shizuku'' and she has a strong love for Akita Prefecture.
Other than alcohol, my hobbies are fashion and perfume. Qualifications: SAKE DIPLOMA, Sake Studies Instructor, Sake Master, Japanese Language Teaching Proficiency Test