Five Ishikawa sake brewers' associations merge, creating a new structure to support Noto's breweries

Five associations become one organisation

Ishikawa is a prefecture in the middle of Japan’s main island, Honshu, facing the Sea of Japan. It is made up of the Kaga region in the south and the Noto Peninsula, which juts out in a long, narrow strip into the northern sea. Until now, the prefecture’s breweries were divided among five sake brewers’ associations by area. Above them sat a prefecture-wide federation, so they worked through two tiers. According to the local newspaper Hokkoku Shimbun, these five associations have merged to form a new body, the “Ishikawa Sake Brewers’ Association”. At the launch, those involved raised their cups to celebrate the start of the new structure. A sake brewers’ association is an industry body in which breweries work together to improve quality and open up new markets, and which also serves as a point of contact with the authorities. With a single point of contact, the prefecture as a whole should find it easier to act in unison.

Supporting Noto’s breweries

The main aim of the merger is to speed up support for Noto’s breweries. The Noto Peninsula was badly hit by the major earthquake of January 2024, and its breweries suffered serious damage to buildings and equipment. Noto is also known as the home of the Noto Toji, one of Japan’s leading groups of toji (the master brewers who lead the sake-making work on site). Their skills have been passed on to breweries outside the prefecture as well. The details of the support have not yet been announced, so we will have to wait for further news. Even so, it is significant that the prefecture’s breweries are joining forces as a single organisation.

Presenting the prefecture’s sake as one

Ishikawa’s breweries have continued to take joint action as a prefecture before now. One example is a campaign to promote hiyaoroshi, an autumn-only seasonal sake, across the whole prefecture. Hiyaoroshi is sake that is pasteurised (heat-treated to kill microorganisms) just once in spring, rested in the brewery over the summer, and then shipped in autumn without a second pasteurisation. Its hallmarks are the mellowness that comes with maturation and a calm, settled umami. With the associations now united, this kind of prefecture-level promotion should become easier still.

When looking for Ishikawa sake in Europe, keep an eye out for place names such as “Ishikawa”, “Noto” and “Kaga” on the label or in the importer’s description. Choosing sake from a Noto brewery may be a small way of helping the recovery. If you come across hiyaoroshi in autumn, try it at room temperature or slightly chilled, alongside mushroom dishes, roast chicken or mature cheese. The roundness that comes from maturation should pair well with them. It will also be worth watching how the new association approaches exports and promotion overseas.