Sake exports brewing up new record

Exports of sake are on course to break a record high for the first time in 11 years, thanks in part to strong demand from the United States and the growing popularity of Japanese cuisine, industry and customs officials said.

A Chinese man tries out various kinds of sake at a tasting event in Beijing in March 2006. KYODO PHOTO

Exports from January to October hit 8,931 kiloliters, up 10.1 percent from the same period in 2006, meaning the annual figure is likely to eclipse the record of 10,400 kl set in 1996, customs office officials said.

Annual exports in 2006 totaled 10,269 kl, equivalent to about 1 percent of domestic sake consumption. Of that total, 32.7 percent went to the United States, followed by 19.4 percent to Taiwan. Other major markets included Canada, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Shipments to the United States totaled 3,354 kl, or about 1.6 times higher than in 2002.

The popularity of Japanese cuisine is causing a surge in Japanese restaurants, which has increased demand for sake, industry people said.

"People taste sake at restaurants, and begin drinking it at home as well," said an official at Gekkeikan Sake Co., a time-honored sake brewer in Kyoto. The company has set up a U.S. sales arm and markets its products widely.

Shipments to China are also rising noticeably amid continuing strong economic growth, they said. Shipments to China in 2006 almost doubled from 2002 to 426 kl, according to customs office officials.