This research project is part of the “Terroir Branding of Sake” initiative. It aims to enhance the brand value of sake breweries in Japan by systematically clarifying the relationship between their local region’s geology and the quality of the water they use to brew.
The first step was to select ten regions distinctive from a geological perspective, and with cooperation from breweries in those areas, discover the relationship between the geological features and their brewing water characteristics. While there were already research findings from the analysis of brewing water quality, research that looked at the geology that influences it was minimal.
This project is the first comprehensive case study covering all the regions that characterize Japan’s geology that surveyed and analysed the characteristics of the brewing water in these regions from a geological perspective.
As for the relationship between the quality of brewing water and quality of sake, we will provide some of the more distinctive brewing water samples from the above ten regions to the National Research Institute of Brewing so that they can conduct trial brews with identical brewing conditions (except the brewing water) and analyse the difference in sake quality between batches. We will also entrust all other research and analysis to the institute.
