With export figures for 2024 now released, db looks at the five headline stories that determined the international fortunes of sake.
Export growth – especially further afield
The headline figures for 2024 should make pleasant reading for producers and exporters: in both volume and value, export figures increased 6% year-on-year. The export value hit ¥43.5 billion, amounting to 3.45 million cases (9 litres in size). Producers now export to a record-high 80 countries around the world.
When compared with five years ago, the statistics are particularly impressive. Exporters now ship to 19 more countries than in 2020, and over that period export value has increased by 80% and the average unit price by 26%.
All export regions except Asia and Africa saw growth in the year. North America, which amounts to 29% of export sales, helped power the overall increase, as its exports grew 27% year-on-year.
One major importer noted that it was helped by an increasing trend to put sake in fine dining establishments. The presence of sake on pairing menus has both enhanced the drink’s image and encouraged diners to pair sake with non-Japanese food.
Western Europe also proved a bright spot. Although it only accounts for 7% of exports, its sales grew 18% year-on-year, and are up 148% on 2020. As sake producers collaborate with the wine industry to create demand, the region is becoming ever more important in building the drink’s international reputation.
Emerging markets have also played their part in the last five years. Both Africa and
Central and Eastern Europe have seen their export destinations grow, showing how efforts at education and exposure are taking root.
Overcoming local challenges
The global picture is not, however, without challenge, and one region is demonstrating why sake producers are far from complacent. Asia, which represents 61% of the total export value, saw a decline of 3% year-on-year.
China, which is responsible for 44% of regional sales, saw a dip, as did the historically strong markets of Hong Kong and Singapore. It amounts to a mixed picture in more local markets.
“In 2024, although the excess inventory and logistics disruptions seen in 2023 are gradually being resolved, transportation costs and warehouse expenses have increased,” explains Hitoshi Utsunomiya, director of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS). “While total export value grew by 6% compared to the previous year, the economic downturn in China and Hong Kong, which have been driving recent exports, led to a decline. Additionally, the depreciation of the yen and inflation have raised exhibition fees, transportation costs, and travel expenses for overseas trade fairs, slightly suppressing the willingness of businesses to participate and seek new partners.”
However, South Korea proved that the Asia market still has growth potential. Sake exports to the nation increased by 29% year-on-year, as it becomes an increasingly vital destination for producers.
Getting sake in front of drinkers
In 2024, the JSS amped up its efforts to introduce experts to high-quality Japanese sake. Having built up an international network of partners, including the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI), the Union de la Sommellerie Française (UDSF) and other professional associations, the JSS brought sake directly to experts around the world.
In Spain, for instance, the JSS conducted a boot camp hosted by the ASI to enthuse the next generation of sommeliers about sake. It also ran a masterclass at the University of Cádiz for local wineries, students and on-trade professionals.
The JSS also attended a number of trade fairs: ProWein, ProWine São Paulo, Warsaw Wine Experience and more. The mixed approach, attending both globally significant events and local showcases in emerging markets, is expanding awareness and with it export potential.
In-bound activities also proved helpful in 2024. Leading sommeliers were provided with the chance to see sake-making first-hand on a trip organised by the JSS. They visited sake breweries in Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures, as well as a koji mold producer in Aichi Prefecture.
Moreover, Japan’s popularity as a destination is doing plenty of promotional work organically. “Inbound tourism surpassed 36 million visitors, reaching a record high in 2024,” highlights Utsunomiya, “revealing that alongside the challenges of boosting exports are opportunities to expand domestic consumption and purchases by international tourists.”
Recognition at the highest level
Late in 2024, sake achieved an honour like no other. ‘Traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan’
was inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in December in Asunción, Paraguay.
As ‘sake’ in Japanese can refer to any alcoholic beverage, the designation specifically covers those drinks which make use of koji mold: shochu, awamori, mirin, and Japanese sake. All of them are united by their traditional production and unique flavour profiles.
Moreover, the registration highlights the longstanding system in which a toji, or master brewer, passes down knowledge and tradition to the next generation of brewers. Alongside its local significance, with production uniquely and intricately tied to each community, this was a key consideration in achieving that honour.
The registration means that sake-making with koji mold joins previously registered heritage – including beer culture in Belgium, Cuban light rum masters and Georgian qvevri winemaking – as one of the most culturally significant practices in the global alcohol trade.
An essential tool for the modern sommelier
Perhaps as the ultimate vindication of the JSS’ efforts,
sake featured during the final of the ASI Best Sommelier of Europe, Africa and the Middle East Competition, held in Belgrade, Serbia last November.
One of the three finalists in 2024 was tasked with selecting and serving sake for guests, reinforcing that the category is non-negotiable for sommeliers learning their craft. This was the first time in the competition’s 35-year history that sake had appeared as a service task in the final.
It further underlined the importance of international work undertaken by the JSS. Not only did sake feature in the final (both as a service task and in the theory section), but attending sommeliers had the opportunity to attend a masterclass on sake and to sample a wide range of Japanese sakes every night.
Moreover, the competition took place in Central Europe, an area that promises huge potential for sake exporters. That the finalist assigned the service challenge, Martynas Pravilonis, is a passionate advocate for sake in his native Lithuania, serves only to hammer the point home.
As they look to 2025 and beyond, both the JSS and the wider sake industry see great opportunities to build enthusiasm for sake, especially in such emerging markets. Even as other alcohol categories, such as Champagne and Scotch, have recently seen export declines, sake continues to show steady growth. With increasingly specific regional strategies, the industry looks well-placed to make further gains in the years ahead.
