Jizake
地酒
Définition
Local sake produced by small to medium-sized regional breweries, as opposed to mass-produced national brands. The jizake movement, which emerged in the 1970s, celebrates terroir, local rice, and individual brewer artistry.
En profondeur
The jizake movement parallels the craft beer and natural wine movements in the West. Before jizake gained prominence, the Japanese sake market was dominated by large Nada and Fushimi producers. Pioneering jizake brewers in prefectures like Niigata, Yamagata, and Shizuoka proved that small breweries could produce world-class sake with distinctive regional character. Today, jizake accounts for a significant and growing share of the premium sake market. Discovering local jizake is a highlight of regional travel in Japan, and many izakaya and sake bars specialize in curating jizake selections.