Asahi Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Dassai), based in Yamaguchi prefecture, is famous for their Dassai sake brand, which is committed to making only the best quality junmai daiginjo. Dassai is often one of, if not the first premium sake brand people try; served chilled in a wine glass, its light, fruity taste and delicate aroma is especially palatable for Western drinkers. In fact, it is the bestselling sake brand at Tippsy.
Part of what has made the brewery so successful is their willingness to take chances. Shortly after Hiroshi Sakurai became the family’s third-generation brewery head in 1984, he pivoted to exclusively making junmai daiginjo, a high-end type of sake that is polished to at least a 50% rice polishing ratio — more highly polished than any other type. That takes a lot of time, skill and resources, but the bold move paid off; Dassai is now one of the most popular sake brands in the world. According to Forbes, the brewery made up 17% of Japan’s sake exports in 2021.
In 2023, Chairman Sakurai made another daring move by opening a state-of-the-art brewing facility in New York. Now, there is a new Dassai in town, and it’s called Dassai Blue.
Why open Dassai Blue Sake Brewery in New York?
The lobby of Dassai Blue Sake Brewery in Hyde Park, New York, features tables for guests to sit and taste Dassai Blue sake | Photo by Taylor Markarian
Appreciation for Japan’s national beverage has been increasing internationally over the last several years, even as it wanes in popularity at home. Major sake brands such as Gekkeikan and Takara have opened up shop in the U.S., and American craft sake breweries are also on the rise. Noting this trend, Sakurai decided it was time for Dassai to take the leap too.
At a 2024 party celebrating the release of Dassai Blue “Nigori Sparkling” in New York City, Sakurai told Tippsy, “In America, the whole economic boom starts from the East Coast, and specifically New York. Things are always happening [here]. For our brewery, we like to have better water and a better environment, so that would be upstate New York.
“America as a country is a very big country,” he continued. “It has a lot of dreams, and has great potential for any market. That being said, sake itself is 0.2% of the market share for alcohol consumption in the United States. So there is a lot of untapped potential, but also, it would be great for us to start spreading universally.”
As they say, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. Of course, it helps when everyone is rooting for you to succeed, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who rolled out the welcome wagon for Asahi Shuzo Co. Ltd. (Dassai) in a public statement.
“New York’s craft beverage manufacturers are engines for job creation, tourism, and regional economic growth,” Governor Hochul said. “Dassai’s expansion into the Mid-Hudson Region builds on New York’s national and international leadership in agribusiness and will be a welcome addition to this industry.”
A dessert made with Dassai Blue’s sake kasu, prepared by the Culinary Institute of America, for Tippsy Kampai! Dassai Blue tour and sake tasting, Dec. 9, 2023 | Photo by Taylor Markarian
The Dassai Blue Sake Brewery’s Hyde Park location also comes with an influential neighbor: the Culinary Institute of America. The prestigious educational institution has formally partnered with the brewery, vowing to work together on special events and tastings. Most importantly, the college is developing a curriculum around sake, which includes certification programs and workshops. This not only provides the food and beverage industry professionals of tomorrow with the chance to learn about sake and sake brewing, but also how to incorporate the beverage and its byproduct, sake kasu, in cooking. All of these initiatives were on full display when Tippsy co-hosted a tour and tasting at the Dassai Blue Sake Brewery in December of 2023, for which the institution provided a delectable and creative three-course meal.
Since Dassai Blue Sake Brewery’s official opening in the fall of 2023, these collaborative efforts have already begun to pay off. At the aforementioned Dassai Blue “Nigori Sparkling” release party in the spring of 2024, Tippsy had the chance to speak with Tyler Reed, a member of the Dassai Blue sake production team and a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Reed had his first encounter with premium Japanese sake when he was stationed in Okinawa for four years as part of the United States military. When he returned home, he transformed his passion for cuisine into a passion for sake.
“What I would want Americans to know is that your image and idea of what sake is — throw it away and build a new palate,” he said.
All of us in the sake industry are hopeful that American drinkers heed Reed’s advice!
What’s the difference between Dassai and Dassai Blue?
Bottles of Dassai Blue sake at Tippsy Sake Fest, June 1, 2024 | Photo by Yoshimasa Miyazaki
Asahi Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Dassai) states, “The goal of Dassai Blue is to brew a more superior product than our sake in Japan.” Behind the new name is the indigo plant, whose dye ends up being a deeper blue than the plant itself. For the brewery, it symbolizes “the transformative power of art and craftsmanship to elevate and enrich the natural world’s inherent beauty.” In short, Dassai Blue is meant to take the company and its sake to the next level.
So, how will they do it?
The fact that the original sake brewery is based in Japan and the new sake brewery is based in New York naturally produces differences in the sake itself. Sake is composed of four ingredients: rice, koji, water and yeast. (Brewer’s alcohol may also be added, but Dassai exclusively produces junmai daiginjo, which does not use this ingredient.) Differences in water hardness is one example of how local resources can play a significant role in the taste of the sake. Committed to using the best quality water possible, Dassai Blue Sake Brewery actually created their own on-premise water filtration system in Hyde Park.
Sake rice is equally important. Dassai Japan has always relied on Yamadanishiki rice. Dassai Blue also utilizes this rice type, but with one notable difference: it’s grown in America. Specifically, at the time of this writing, the New York sake brand has just begun releasing bottles brewed with crops produced by rice farmers in Arkansas. And while American farmers are quite capable, they have considerably less experience growing sake rice than their counterparts in Japan, who have been doing it for centuries. So while the resources are available in America, they are still evolving.
Getting Dassai Blue sake to the point where it rivals or surpasses the original Dassai sake is going to be a matter of research and experimentation. The brewing team are in the midst of figuring out how to make the most of America’s natural resources, as well as the right balance of ingredients to strike when brewing, all while keeping their U.S. clientele’s taste preferences in mind.
Let’s take a look at Dassai Blue sake and how it compares to Dassai in Japan.
Dassai Blue “23”
Those already familiar with Dassai sake from Japan know that the brand names their bottles after the rice polishing ratio (with the exception of Dassai “Beyond,” whose RPR is undisclosed). The company’s new brand follows the same naming convention. In a nod to Dassai’s flagship bottle Dassai “23,” the nascent New York brand has released its own Dassai Blue “23.” This allows customers to directly compare the two products in a head-to-head matchup.
Dassai “23” and Dassai Blue “23” are both highly polished sake with a light body and a hint of honey on the palate. A clean overall taste with some sweetness marks them both, but a sugary impression is slightly more prominent in the Dassai Blue brew, which the brewery describes as reminiscent of lemon chiffon cake. Where the original Dassai “23” exudes a floral aroma with some melon notes, Dassai Blue “23” leans into anise and pear. Interestingly, the Dassai Blue version is slightly less alcoholic at 14% ABV, compared to the 16% ABV of the original. The brewery believes that lowering the ABV will better suit the American palate. (Although, Dassai informed Tippsy in the summer of 2024 that their Japan sake is also being lowered to 15% ABV.) Both bottles are similarly priced in the $90-$100 range.
Dassai Blue “35”
Slightly less polished is Dassai Blue “35,” which puts forward juicy yet subtle notes of papaya and white peach. While it has no exact Japanese counterpart, the original Dassai brand does offer Dassai “39.” “39” also delivers a touch more flavor than “23,” but with more a prominent melon taste. Both Dassai Blue “35” and Dassai “39” dial up the acidity a bit for a welcome foil to the sake’s sweetness. Again, the New York sake weighs in at 14% ABV as opposed to Dassai Japan’s 16% ABV. Both bottles are in the more affordable price range of $40-$50.
Dassai Blue “50”
This junmai daiginjo is the least polished of the Dassai Blue lineup. While it still possesses the lightness and smoothness for which the brewery is known, this sake’s flavor profile is the most expressive. Like a delicious fruit tart, Dassai Blue “50” satisfies with indulgent notes of pineapple, lemon, vanilla and melon. It’s sweet, but a welcome acidity provides a little balance.
Interestingly, Dassai Japan once offered a “50” as well, but discontinued it in favor of the slightly more refined Dassai “45,” which embraces crisp, refreshing flavors of apple and melon. Falling in the $30-$40 range, Dassai Blue “50” and Dassai “45” are the most affordable junmai daiginjo offered by the Japanese juggernauts. But don’t take the lower price tag as an indication of lower quality; less rice polishing simply requires fewer costly resources. Both Dassai Blue “50” and Dassai “45” are elegant sake you can feel comfortable enjoying regularly.
Dassai Blue “Nigori Sparkling”
Dassai Blue Sake Brewery celebrated the release of their “Nigori Sparkling” in May of 2024 at The Paris Cafe in New York City. The charming, European-inspired bar — a historical landmark built in 1873 — provided a close-up view of the Brooklyn Bridge, which served as a stunning backdrop against which Dassai Blue could embrace its burgeoning New York identity. Food and beverage industry professionals and friends, alongside members of the Dassai Blue team, gathered to taste the entire Dassai Blue lineup, with the star of course being the dry, cloudy, sparkling sake.
A glass of Dassai Blue “Nigori Sparkling” at its release party, alongside the event’s tasting menu. The Paris Cafe, May 6, 2024 | Photo by Taylor Markarian
Nigori sake is typically known to be very sweet and creamy, but there are in fact many different kinds of nigori with varying levels of sweetness, dryness and texture. The white, hazy Dassai Blue “Nigori Sparkling” is ironically the driest Dassai Blue sake, though it still carries a rice-forward sweetness with elements of pear and apple. Polished to 50% and coarsely filtered, the rice solids are present enough to provide texture without being exceptionally creamy, and the effervescence adds a sense of playfulness and festivity. Because it is also a “nama” (unpasteurized sake), it boasts a vibrant taste.
Asahi Shuzo Co., Ltd (Dassai) believes this lighter style of nigori to be a more elevated take on the sake subcategory. This is also embodied by the Japan brewery’s Dassai “45” Nigori, which offers a similar flavor profile, but without the effervescence naturally created by secondary in-bottle fermentation.
Dassai Blue nama sake
One style of sake that is more difficult to import from Japan is nama. The absence of pasteurization allows the sake to retain its raw flavors and liveliness. But because it’s incredibly fresh, it is also less shelf stable, as it continues to ferment in the bottle. That is why nama sake, once opened, must be consumed within a few days to ensure the best quality. Most of these nama are seasonal sake, which are in very limited supply.
At Tippsy, we’re lucky to have strong relationships with Japanese brewers, who trust us to deliver their nama sake successfully to U.S. consumers. But more often than not, delicious nama can only be obtained by locals visiting the breweries in Japan. However, with the development of American craft sake breweries and transplant breweries like Dassai Blue in Hyde Park, invigorating nama sake is more available than ever in the U.S.
Asahi Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Dassai) fourth-generation President Kazuhiro Sakurai surprises guests at Tippsy Kampai! Dassai Blue with a small vat of fresh Dassai Blue “23” Nama | Photo by Taylor Markarian
At our joint event at the Hudson Valley brewery in 2023, Dassai surprised Tippsy guests by rolling out their very first batch of Dassai Blue “23” Nama. It was such a privilege for us and for our fellow sake lovers to be the first to taste it straight out of the vat. There truly is nothing like fresh, invigorating nama sake. So if you want to try some, be sure to visit Dassai Blue Sake Brewery!
How to visit Dassai Blue Sake Brewery
Dassai Blue Sake Brewery is located at 5 St. Andrew Road in Hyde Park, New York, two hours north of Manhattan via car or Amtrak. If you live in the Northeast or are in town visiting, it’s definitely worth checking out.
The brewery offers a 25-minute tour and an hour-long sake tasting Thursday through Sunday by reservation only. During the tasting, guests may also enjoy small bites prepared by the Culinary Institute of America. However, you can still enjoy sake by the glass Wednesday through Sunday, no reservation required. On Saturdays and Sundays, the brewery also offers freshly prepared sushi for an additional charge.
Book your Dassai Blue Sake Brewery tour and tasting today, and scroll down to the bottom of this page to subscribe to the Tippsy newsletter. Stay informed about special events and exclusive offers for Dassai, Dassai Blue and other fantastic sake breweries.
Forging a new path for sake in America and beyond
As of this moment, Dassai Blue is still in its infancy. They are fine-tuning their products, embracing their new American home, and are excited for the future. The same is true for other sake breweries across this country; it’s a great experiment, a process and an evolution. What lies ahead is unclear, but Chairman Sakurai and other sake industry professionals are betting that the world will one day be as enthusiastic about sake as it is about wine, beer and other spirits.
Resources
Brokaw, A. “DASSAI Blue Releases Nigori Sparkling: Their First Sparkling Cloudy Sake Produced in the U.S.” Businesswire, 2024.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240507015148/en/
Dassai Blue
https://dassai.com/
Fabricant, F. “Dassai Opens Its Sprawling Sake Brewery in the Hudson Valley.” The New York Times, 2023.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/dining/dassai-blue-sake-brewery-hudson-valley.html
Governor Kathy Hochul. “Governor Hochul Announces Grand Opening of $80 Million Dassai Blue Sake Brewery in Dutchess County.” New York State, 2023.
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-grand-opening-80-million-dassai-blue-sake-brewery-dutchess-county
Katayama, A. “Why Is Dassai On Every Japanese Restaurant’s Sake Menu?” Forbes, 2022.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/akikokatayama/2022/09/28/why-is-dassai-on-every-japanese-restaurants-sake-menu/
Levine, J. “For Goodness’ ‘Sake.’” The Culinary Institute of America, 2018.
https://www.ciachef.edu/asahi-shuzo-sake-brewery-release/
