Message from Beverage Director, Sam Miyazawa:

In recent years, craft sake breweries have been opening one after another all over the world, including the United States. Japan still strictly regulates the establishment of new sake breweries in Japan, so it is very pleasing to see sake expanding globally.

Since the 1980s, major Japanese sake breweries have established local subsidiaries in the United States and started brewing sake, but Canada was the first country to produce local craft sake. Artisan Sake Maker, which opened in British Columbia (Vancouver) in 2007,is the world's first craft sake brewery outside of Japan.

Moreover, Artisan Sake Maker has started cultivating its own organic rice, making it the world's first craft sake brewery to be grown in-house from sake rice.

Following Artisan Sake Maker, Izumi, known as the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company, was founded in Toronto, Ontario, on the eastern side of Canada in 2011,and is the first craft sake brewery in North America.

Outside of Izumi Sake Brewery in Ontario, Canada.

Located in Toronto's historic Distillery District, this brewery offers a variety of sakes, including fresh unpasteurized sake, but the overall flavor is light and easy to drink, like wine, with a fruity taste. And now, Izumi's sake has finally landed in New York!

Kuraichi has two types of Izumi fruit sake in stock. They are Sake Apple Cider and Sake Politan, a yuzu cranberry sake, both based on Izumi's fresh Junmai sake.

The Sake Apple Cider is the sake version of apple cider, with Canadian maple syrup giving it a refined sweetness and Japanese yuzu for a refreshing taste. It's great warmed up and served with a cinnamon stick in the cold winter!

The other Sake Politan is a mix of Muskoka cranberry from Ontario and Japanese yuzu. A little lime is added for an even more refreshing taste.

It's selling very well, so please forgive us if it's out of stock!