On March 27, New York-based sake brewery Brooklyn Kura became the first U.S. sake producer to export its products to Japan.
This entry into the Japanese market is the result of a partnership between Brooklyn Kura, established in 2018, and Hakkaisan, a sake brewery in Niigata Prefecture. The collaboration began in 2021 as a joint effort to exchange product development ideas and introduce sake to more American consumers.
Now the sake is heading in the other direction. Brian Polen, co-founder and president of Brooklyn Kura, did not specify the number of cases the company would be exporting, noting only that the “initial volume is relatively small” but that its sake will be available at bars, restaurants and liquor shops in Japan.