Hida junmai daiginjo gets a repeat order from Singapore Airlines

“TENRYO HIDAHOMARE JUNMAI DAIGINJO50”, a junmai daiginjo brewed by Tenryo Shuzo in Gero, Gifu Prefecture, in central Japan, has been served in Singapore Airlines’ Suites Class and First Class since the start of 2026. At the end of August, the brewery announced that it had received a further order following the initial one. The additional batch shipped on 1 September 2026. The brewery sees this as more than a one-off listing: the repeat order, placed after the sake had actually been served on board, is in its words “a milestone in continuing to deliver sake to customers around the world”.

A regional brewery chosen for the top cabin

Founded in 1680, Tenryo Shuzo is a long-established brewery with its roots in the Omi Hino merchants of Shiga Prefecture. The brewery is in Gero, in the mountainous Hida region known for its hot springs. According to the brewery’s own research, this is the first time a sake from a brewery in the Tokai region, which comprises the four prefectures of Gifu, Aichi, Mie and Shizuoka, has been selected for Singapore Airlines’ Suites and First Class (as of August 2026, based on published information and checks with those concerned). Tenryo Shuzo has previously had its sake chosen as an in-flight sake in Japan Airlines (JAL) international business class. Matasuke Uenoda, the ninth-generation brewery owner and president, recalls that he lived abroad when he was young and originally had no intention of taking over the family business. He says it now means a great deal to him that the sake his brewery makes in Hida is being drunk in the skies around the world.

Hida rice and ultra-soft water with a hardness of about 15

Junmai daiginjo is a top grade of sake made only from rice, rice koji and water, with no added brewing alcohol, using rice that has been polished down heavily. A “rice polishing ratio of 50%” means that half of each grain is milled away from the outside and only the core is used. This sake uses Hidahomare, a sake rice grown in Hida, and its brewing water comes from the Ontake mountain range. The water is ultra-soft, with a hardness of about 15, and the brewery aims for a soft, refined mouthfeel and a rice umami that sits well alongside food. The rice, the water and the brewing are all from Hida, and that is what defines this bottle.

If you are enjoying this story in Europe, look out for the rice name “Hidahomare” on the label. A junmai daiginjo brewed with ultra-soft water shows its gentle aroma and smooth texture most clearly when served chilled in a white wine glass. It pairs easily with delicately flavoured dishes such as white-fish carpaccio or steamed vegetables. An airline’s top-class sake list can also be a gateway through which sake from small regional breweries in Japan reaches tables around the world. The next time you see the brewery’s name on an in-flight menu, take a look at where the sake comes from, too.