Soy milk fermented with sake yeast: Umenoyado's new liqueur

Umenoyado Shuzo, a sake brewery in Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture, released a liqueur made from soy milk, “SOYVIGNON”, on 19 October 2026. According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun, it is the first liqueur in the world made by fermenting soy milk with sake yeast. Nara lies to the south-east of Osaka and Kyoto and is known as one of Japan’s ancient capitals. Over five years, the sake brewery took on an unexpected raw material: the soybean.

Fermenting soy milk with sake yeast

The base is a low-fat soy milk made by the food-ingredient manufacturer Fuji Oil using its own “USS process”. This was fermented with sake yeast, the yeast that turns sugar into alcohol in sake mash. Development took about five years, and the biggest challenge was establishing a production technique that suppresses the grassy smell typical of soy milk while consistently delivering the same quality. The liqueur has an alcohol content of 10% and comes in a 720 ml bottle. It is also noted for containing isoflavones, a nutrient found abundantly in soybeans.

Slightly dry, with seafood and cured ham

According to the brewery, the taste is slightly dry, with a gorgeous aroma and a clean acidity. True to a name that recalls the Sauvignon grape variety used in wine, it is intended to be enjoyed with food, and the brewery recommends pairing it with seafood carpaccio or cured ham. The main target is health-conscious women in their 40s and 50s, and it is pitched as a drink for busy adults to look after themselves. In Japan, where young people are said to be drinking less, the aim is to win over new drinkers.

A brewery that has opened up a market with liqueurs

Under Kayo Yoshida, who became the fifth-generation president in 2013, Umenoyado Shuzo has built its business on two pillars: sake and liqueur. Its “Aragoshi” fruit liqueur series, in which the pulp is coarsely strained and left in the drink, is the flagship product and has reached its 20th anniversary since launch; the brewery has also drawn attention for drinks made with ingredients such as tomatoes. In related Nikkei coverage, President Yoshida is also reported to be keen on selling sake-based liqueurs overseas.

For now, SOYVIGNON is sold only through the brewery’s online shop and directly operated stores (1,500 yen), and no overseas rollout has been announced. Even so, for Europe, where interest in plant-based food and drink is high, the idea of applying sake-brewing techniques to a raw material other than grain deserves attention. If you get the chance to try it, chill it well, check the aroma in a wine glass, and pair it with Spanish jamon, Italian prosciutto or a white-fish carpaccio. As a first step, you could look for an Umenoyado fruit liqueur at a nearby liquor shop and get a taste of this brewery’s free-thinking approach.