Seven Noto breweries join autumn's Ishikawa Hiyaoroshi release

23 breweries release their autumn sake together

Ishikawa Prefecture lies in central Honshu, Japan’s main island, facing the Sea of Japan, and has long been a land of flourishing sake brewing. On 4 September, 23 breweries in the prefecture released “Ishikawa Hiyaoroshi”, a sake made only for autumn. With a unified release date, the sake appeared on the shelves of supermarkets and sake shops across the prefecture on the same day. Rather than each brewery selling separately, the whole prefecture put its sake on sale on a common date. It is a way of presenting a seasonal sake as a regional brand.

What is hiyaoroshi?

Hiyaoroshi is a sake pressed in winter to spring, matured inside the brewery over the summer, and shipped in autumn when the weather turns cool. Ordinary sake is heat-pasteurised once more before shipping, but hiyaoroshi omits this step. A summer of maturation is said to calm the roughness of new sake, making the aroma gentler and the texture mellower. This change, also called “aki-agari”, is one reason the sake pairs easily with autumn dishes.

Seven Oku-Noto breweries show the path to recovery

This year’s participating breweries include seven in Oku-Noto that suffered heavy damage in the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Oku-Noto is the tip of the peninsula that juts into the Sea of Japan in the north of Ishikawa Prefecture. These seven also took part last year, so they have now released an autumn sake two years running. Some breweries are thought to be still rebuilding, with buildings and equipment damaged. Even so, being able to ship their sake in season is proof that brewing in the region continues.

In Europe, too, autumn sake can sometimes be found in Japanese grocers and sake specialists under the names “Hiyaoroshi” or “Aki-agari”. If the label or the shop’s description says “Ishikawa” or “Noto”, it comes from a brewery in this region. It is said to be best served only slightly chilled rather than well chilled, or at room temperature, which brings out the mellowness created by maturation. It can also be enjoyed with autumn dishes such as sautéed mushrooms, grilled autumn fish and mature hard cheese. Choosing a sake from a Noto brewery is also a way of supporting the brewers in the disaster-hit area from afar.