Utah, home of the Mormons, is the last place one would expect to find a norm-shattering sake brewery. The dominant religious group is famously opposed to alcohol, and so the state operates under some of the most strict liquor laws in the nation. Direct-to-consumer alcohol sales to homes are illegal, and don’t you dare think about serving a cocktail with more than 2.5 ounces worth of spirits! Yet surprisingly, the state’s capital is home to Tsuki Sake, a sake brewery that’s putting its own colorful spin on the 2,000-year-old Japanese beverage, and introducing their fellow Salt Lakers to a world of discovery.
No matter where you live in the U.S., finding someone as passionate about sake as you are and willing to take a chance on opening a brewery is difficult. Luckily for sake sommelier Jill Watanabe, former craft beer brewer Ty Eldridge caught the sake bug around the same time she did, and together with Kirk Terashima, they co-founded Tsuki Sake in 2020.
“First and foremost,” Watanabe says, “Utah has a strange liquor reputation. But that being said, there’s a really cool counterculture to all of that. The craft beer scene is strong, the distillery industry is strong, so I think that it just goes to show that sake hasn’t had its moment yet. We’re excited to continue to grow the sake industry, Japanese and domestic alike.”
Watanabe cultivated her love of sake while working in Japanese restaurants, including Yama Sushi at the Montage Deer Valley and Tsunami Restaurant & Sushi Bar, which has several locations around the Salt Lake area. As a Japanese-American, learning about the intricacies of sake brewing gave her a chance to connect with her heritage. She followed her passion to Niigata, Japan, where she trained at Obata Sake Brewery to become a certified advanced sake brewer.
Jill Watanabe stands at a bar with the Tsuki Sake lineup | Courtesy of Big Mouth Marketing
Similarly, Eldridge was introduced to sake during a brief stint at Yuki Yama, a Japanese restaurant in Park City, Utah, voted one of OpenTable’s Top 100 restaurants in America in 2024. Although he isn’t Japanese, that sense of history and high-level craftsmanship was also a draw for him.
“There’s not a huge amount of available sake in Utah,” Eldridge explains, “and Yuki [Yama] did a good job of special ordering a bunch of different sakes so that their clientele could have a lot of options. And so I was therefore lucky enough to be exposed to a bunch of sakes without having to go too far from home, and I just sort of had an aha moment: Salt Lake City is ready for this. They’re hungry for things that are new.”
Although he spent years working in the craft beer industry, Eldridge readily admits that sake is the more inspiring beverage for him.
“I just think [there’s] a uniqueness to it,” he explains, “and such a clear attention to detail and a passion behind it that you can almost taste, right? … Craft beer can be fantastic, but I think I’m much less impressed by craft beer than I am by sake.”
In his mind, sake is currently at the budding stage that craft beer occupied in the mid-2000s — up-and-coming and, hopefully, on the verge of breaking through.
Neon sign at The Gateway downtown shopping district in Salt Lake City, Utah
Both Eldridge and Watanbe see great potential in Salt Lake City, which they view as increasingly progressive, and which is becoming a thriving hub of restaurants, bars, breweries and shops. As a proud member of the LGBTQ community, not to mention one of a small number of female sake brewers in the world, Watanabe is happy to contribute to this growing scene.
“For me, I feel like representation is really important,” Watanabe shares. “I think it also says a lot about how our business is different from other businesses. If it is, like, a man’s world or whatever, just having a different perspective on how a business should be ran — ideals, mission, vision, values — how priorities can be different. And I just feel like I never really saw representation growing up; it was pretty one-note. And so if that can help inspire other people, that’s the best case scenario for representing the company that way.”
“It’s the belief that diversity is important,” Eldridge says. “There’s a moment in the country and in the world right now that is counter to that, and it just makes us want to be louder because we do think that’s important. And that’s coming from me, the cis white male in the group.”
“I’ve been blessed with having Ty as my business partner,” Watanabe replies, “because he shares the same ideologies and perspectives on things as I do, and he’s been an amazing ally for all those intersections that represent our brand.”
The spirit of representation is even reflected in the name of the brand. “Tsuki” (月) is the Japanese word for moon, which has classically symbolized divine femininity in Japanese lore. Inspired by the powerful allure of the moon, Tsuki Sake strives to craft sake that offers elegance and layered complexity.
Tsuki Sake “Super Moon” Junmai Daiginjo, their flagship brew, is an award-winning sake | Courtesy of Big Mouth Marketing
At the same time, both Watanabe and Eldridge understand that they must balance traditional Japanese craftsmanship with the need to appeal to the American drinker. As the first sake brewery in Utah, they take their role of increasing awareness and appreciation for sake seriously.
“That’s a big part of it for us, is the approachability,” Eldridge says, “and really educating our domestic sake consumer base. Our white peach nigori sake is probably not something that you’d find regularly in Japan, and it’s allowed us to sort of bring some of these non-sake drinkers to the sake table, and then many of them have sort of graduated to our junmai daiginjo.”
Tsuki Sake “Super Moon” Junmai Daiginjo is their flagship brew. In 2024, it took home the gold at the International Women’s Winemaking Competition, as well as the LA International Wine Competition for the category of packaging design. It’s brewed with sustainably farmed American sake rice milled to 50%. Enchanting aromas of apricot, tropical fruit, berries and white flowers greet you first. This ambrosial first impression is followed by a round, creamy mouthfeel and a slightly dry finish. This is the elevated American craft sake experience Tsuki Sake is excited for people to have.
They also encourage pairing their sake not just with Japanese food, but with all manner of cuisines. Watanabe adores their junmai daiginjo with truffle butter pasta, and recommends their “Harvest Moon” White Peach Nigori with Thai food. She also advises enjoying oysters alongside Tsuki Sake’s canned sparkling sake.
Tsuki Sake is available at various bars and restaurants in Utah and Montana. Find a location where you can try Tsuki Sake by visiting their website. Tippsy Sake is not currently legally able to ship to the Beehive State, but we share the same mission and ethos: One sip can change your life.
Resources
Gustman, M. “Jillian Watanabe of Tsuki Sake claims space in sake industry.” TownLift. April 28, 2022.
https://townlift.com/2022/04/jillian-watanabe-of-tsuki-sake-claims-space-in-sake-industry/
Fernandez, K. “Tsuki Sake: Balancing Traditional and Modern Brewing.” Visit Salt Lake. July 6, 2022.
https://www.visitsaltlake.com/blog/stories/post/tsuki-sake-balancing-traditional-and-modern-brewing/
Stephenson, K. “13 liquor facts every Utahn should know — whether you drink or not.” The Salt Lake Tribune. September 19, 2021.
https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/food/2021/09/19/liquor-facts-every-utahn/
Tsuki Sake. “Our Story.”
https://tsukisake.com/pages/our-story
Tsuki Sake. “Tsuki - The History, Lore, and Celebration of the Moon.”
https://tsukisake.com/blogs/uncorking-american-sake/tsuki-moon-sake
