Long-Awaited Sake Shipments Resume after Heavy Rain

September 14, 2018

Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Pref.- Asahi Shuzo Co., a sake brewer in western Japan, on Thursday resumed shipments of a product from its popular Dassai brand that were suspended following the torrential rains in that part of the country in July.

A total of some 14,000 720-milliliter bottles of the product, "Dassai Junmai Daiginjo 50," made in late July after the downpours, will be shipped to some 570 shops across the country, according to the brewer in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Only 24 bottles will be supplied to each shop. The product is the most popular of the Dassai series.

Asahi Shuzo President Kazuhiro Sakurai said: "I'm relieved as we resumed shipments. We were encouraged by customers who told us that they are keenly waiting to enjoy our products again."

The torrential rains caused Asahi Shuzo to suspend production, as the disaster disrupted power supply to its sake-making facilities and made it impossible to control the fermentation temperatures of "moromi" mash made of such ingredients as steamed rice.

The quality of sake made from this mash did not reach the level required for Dassai. But the company decided to sell the sake at a relatively low price and donate part of the revenue to support postdisaster reconstruction activities.

The product was launched as "Dassai Shima Kosaku," named after a popular Japanese manga series featuring dedicated businessman Kosaku Shima. A total of some 580,000 bottles of the product, which has an image of the character on its label, have sold out. Jiji Press