Sake consumption peaked in 1973 and has been declining ever since.
As the market shrinks, the number of sake breweries across the country is also decreasing, with an average of about two breweries going out of business each month over the past 20 years.

Amidst the overall headwinds, Clear Co., Ltd. launched the sake brand "SAKE HUNDRED" in 2018 with the brand purpose of "satisfying the hearts and adding color to the lives of people all over the world with the finest sake." While the perception that "sake is cheap" had been widespread until now, the company has raised prices across the market and spread awareness that "there is a 'luxury line' of sake as well."

I spoke to this person

Tatsuji Ikoma, CEO of Clear Co., Ltd.

Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1986. Founded Clear Co., Ltd. in 2013 and launched the online media "SAKETIMES" in 2014. Founded the sake brand "SAKE HUNDRED" in 2018 and continues to expand the possibilities of sake.

High-quality sake has gained strength

-Seven years have passed since the brand was launched. How is it progressing now?

Ikoma-san (omitted): "The business as a whole is progressing well. In October 2025, orders exceeded 300 million yen, setting a new monthly sales record. The fact that we have been able to accumulate such a large amount of money for a product with an average price range of 40,000 to 50,000 yen makes me feel that there is hope for sake.
Currently, the retail price of Byakko is 38,500 yen (tax included), but when the brand was founded it was 16,800 yen (tax included). At the time, the overwhelming majority of people said it was too expensive and that no one would pay that much for sake, so I think the situation has changed dramatically."

-That's a great achievement.

"Rather than being happy about the increase in our company's sales, we believe that it is important to see how much potential we can discover in the sake industry. We honestly feel that our current results are entirely due to the power of sake, and that there is still a lot of potential for sake.
Of course, October is a peak month, including the sales season leading up to the New Year, and we don't see results like this every month. Still, it's proof that the reputation of 'high-end sake' is gaining ground."

-What are your main sales channels?

"Roughly speaking, our own e-commerce business accounts for 85% and wholesale for around 15%. Overseas sales are still less than 1%. We are almost entirely driven by domestic demand, so overseas sales channels are where we have room for future growth."

-It's surprising that the overseas ratio is so low.

"It has always been important to us that our brand is popular in Japan. If we don't have a good reputation in Japan, we won't sell overseas. The key question is, 'How is it in Japan?' So it's important to raise our reputation in Japan. Rather than focusing solely on overseas markets, we need to firmly establish a foothold in Japan."

-What kind of people will be your customer base?

"As expected, the number of wealthy consumers is increasing, but I feel that it is a great achievement that sake has become one of the options for people who like whiskey, wine, art, and luxury brands.
On the other hand, we also naturally receive purchases from traditional sake fans. We believe that it is the industry's job, in other words, our responsibility, to convey value for money. Even someone who normally buys a 1,800 yen bottle of sake might be paying 15,000 yen for dinner. This is because they feel there is value in it."

-What impact has the recent rise in raw rice prices had?

"With the rising cost of raw materials, the purchase price from the brewery has naturally risen as well. However, in our case, the original unit price is high, so for the time being we are planning to adjust profits and keep the selling price the same."

"Sake quality design process" brings together experts

-While there are many high-priced products, "Nikou" at 9,900 yen seems relatively reasonable.

"We were conflicted about whether it was okay to release a product for under 10,000 yen, even though we are a luxury brand.
If you want to lower the price, you can lower it as much as you want. However, if you look for the price as the reason for not selling, it will lose its raison d'être. First of all, it is important to realize that high prices are not an issue.
However, there is of course a reasonable price for the market. We have the ability to sell sake over 30,000 yen via the internet, but it is still difficult to sell in this price range at retail. We released this brand as a response to this situation."

-Please tell us about the process from designing the quality of SAKE HUNDRED brands to their release, using Nikko as an example.

"First of all, I decided that Nikko's role would be to create a product that would attract customers through retail and restaurants, and at that point I already had a clear idea of ​​what the flavor would be. Regardless of age, gender, nationality, religion, etc., everyone loves fruit. Sweet and sour fruit juice is a delicious flavor that everyone has in common. So I started designing it with the goal of creating a fruit juice flavor.
However, a sweet and sour low-alcohol product lacks depth and is boring. Without a certain degree of clarity, it becomes commonplace, so I tell our product development manager, Kawase, that the fourth stage of white koji is an important element. He is a key person with experience as a master brewer at Gekkeikan America. While I tend to prioritize branding, Kawase plays a key role in developing the SAKE HUNDRED brand."

Image source:SAKE HUNDRED Official Website

-How do you communicate the taste to the breweries you outsource to?

"When developing a new product, we first share the concept with the sake brewery and clarify the image of the quality of sake we are aiming for.
Then, based on a brand that is close to the target quality, we may create a sample by adding citric acid, lactic acid, glucose, etc. Through these prototypes, we can further concretely define the direction of the sake quality, and then officially request production from a brewery that can realize it.
Also, even if the brewery is enthusiastic about the SAKE HUNDRED initiative, there are cases where the brewers on the ground are not so keen.
When we were making Nikko, we gathered the master brewer and brewers from Shirataki Sake Brewery and explained our philosophy and our desire to change the industry's current economic growth challenges. We talked about how we wanted to work together to create a system where economy and culture could work together."

-It's like teaming up with a sake brewery to create a product.

"In the case of Nikko, we use rice bran, a by-product of Hyakko. We tried more than 10 times (before commercializing it), but at first we were told it would be difficult to make.
We are registered as corporate research students at Tokyo University of Agriculture, so we were able to consult with professors and refer to papers on similar research. Based on that, we brought the idea that it was theoretically possible and they made it a reality."

-It's also reassuring to have people with experience as brewers at Gekkeikan.

"From the beginning, we decided to hire someone with experience as a master brewer at a major sake brewery.
The reason is that we have a wide range of experience. We can handle sweet, spicy, sour, and sparkling sake. Gekkeikan also has its own research laboratory, which is great. Of course, one of the attractions of a small brewery is that you can focus on one thing."

Blending and aging can easily create "added value"

-In the past, there was a blended sake called "Kyoka," but why was it discontinued?

"Hibikibana has a special story behind it. When I tried a blend of the unpasteurized sake Tenu and a product called Shirin, which had been aged for a short period in a Mizunara oak barrel, I found it to be delicious.
"Ten'u was a nama-zake, so sales were later discontinued due to concerns about its quality. As a result, sales of Hibiki-bana were also discontinued."

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-Do you have any plans to release blended brands in the future?

"I'd like to try blending because it's easy to add value to it. The unique character of a single tank is completely different from the unique character of a blend of multiple tanks."

-What do you think about aged sake?

"Currently, we have two types: 'Raihi,' which has been aged at -5 degrees for over 10 years, and 'Gengai,' which is made from a yeast starter that survived the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
Taking time is something that you can never do no matter how much money you have, so it is persuasive and satisfying to customers.
However, I don't think it's good to age sake indiscriminately; I think that new sake is generally more delicious. It's also true that if you age the right sake in the right environment, the experience value increases. I want to continue doing this properly."

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Take more risks than anyone else and run on the front lines than anyone else

-Please tell us about your future prospects.

"To become the number one premium sake brand.
We believe that we are undoubtedly a leader in the premium sake category, which has grown in popularity over the past few years, but we are only a leader within a small market.
Our company vision is to "create the future of sake," but "creating the future" means "creating something that doesn't exist now." To achieve this, we must firmly become a leader in the sake brand industry.
To lead an industry means to take more risks than anyone else and be at the forefront of everything.
We don't want to be the only ones to succeed, but we want to pave a new path and, if it turns out there's no risk involved, other breweries should join in. I believe that ventures should take risks, starting from zero to one, and I want to continue being a company that does just that."

In a world where the sake market continues to shrink, SAKE HUNDRED has pioneered new territory as an entity that "redefines the value of sake."

Ikoma's challenge is not simply about capitalistic success, but is driven by a strong sense of mission to shape the future of the sake industry itself.

Through close collaboration with various sake breweries, unique sake quality design, and initiatives such as blending and aging, the SAKE HUNDRED brand has built a new value axis in the seven years since its launch.

Their determination to forge ahead down a path no one has ever walked before will surely become a new benchmark for the entire sake industry to take a strong step forward once again.

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Writer: Yuki Arai
A freelance writer who conveys the culture and stories of alcohol. After working in a liquor store and in sales at a food manufacturer, he went independent.WEB SITE）
Qualifications: JSA SAKE DIPLOMA, Wine Expert, SSI Sake Master, Sake Studies Instructor