The Japanese Huffington Post reports on a sake name that proved a little too popular.
Another sake crowdfunding project on the Makuake site unexpectedly sold all backing slots for the 1,000 bottles available in just four days. The article mentions the usual statistics, stating that everyone is talking about people moving away from sake, with consumption dropping from 1.67 million litres in 1975 to just 550,000,000 litres in 2015, especially with the introduction of new drinks like craft beer and highballs. Plus, young people are turning their backs on alcohol completely.
Despite these signs of difficulty in the sake world, the long-established Kanbai brewery in Niigata were taken aback when their crowdfunding attempt was fully backed in four days. It seems like the magic ingredient was the name – Suzuki.
The sake is made by the brewery’s toji master brewer (still in his 30s), Suzuki Takahiro. The label is lettered by calligrapher Suzuki Taketoshi. And Suzuki is the most common last name in Japan.
What seems to have happened is that Suzukis around the country, even if they didn’t normally drink sake, saw their name and decided to pick up a bottle. The strapline for the kickstarter was “A sake for Suzukis, by Suzukis”.
Links
- Original article (Japanese, Huffington Post, 12 January 2018)
- Kanbai brewery (Japanese)