History of Hokkaido’s liquor industries

We did some research about the history of the various types of liquor that are made in Hokkaido!

Sake

Not much is known about the history of sake brewing in Hokkaido, but historians know that industries had already sprung up in areas such as Esashi, Matsumae and Hakodate by the Edo Period (1603-1867).

But sake brewing in Hokkaido didn’t really hit its stride until 1872, a few years after the Meiji Restoration, when brewer Shibata Yojiuemon moved to Sapporo from Ishikawa Prefecture on the mainland and opened what is now Nippon Seishu by the Sosei River.

Sake is brewed in the cold winter months, so Hokkaido is the ideal location for brewing sake.

There are now sake breweries all over Hokkaido, each with its own unique character. Many use the prime sake rice grown right here in Hokkaido, and there are now a lot of sophisticated Hokkaido sakes to choose from.

Beer

Hokkaido’s beer industry began in 1876, when the Japanese government opened the Kaitakushi Beer Brewery (now Sapporo Breweries) in Sapporo. This effort was led by Nakagawa Seibei, the first Japanese person to train in the beer kingdom of Germany. The brewery’s first German-style beer was launched in Tokyo in September of the following year, under the name “Cold-brewed Sapporo Beer”.

So the history of beer in Hokkaido is intertwined with Hokkaido’s development. Sapporo Beer Museum teaches you all about how Hokkaido beer has evolved in that period of over 150 years—check it out!

Wine

Hokkaido’s first grape vines were planted in 1875, after the Development Commissioner gave people grape seedlings to grow food. The Development Commissioner’s Winery apparently began making wine from wild grapes in Sapporo the following year.

But wine didn’t prove to be very popular back then, so they stopped producing it. It wasn’t until 50 years later that wine began to appeal to people. Wineries opened in areas such as Yamanashi Prefecture on the mainland, and then finally in 1960, Hokkaido made its second venture into winemaking! This plan was put into place in the town of Ikeda in the Tokachi region, and like the original winery, wild grapes were used to make the wine. This winery is now the Ikeda Town Grape and Wine Research Institute (Ikeda Wine Castle).

In the 1970s, Hokkaido was gifted some white grape seedlings from Europe, and achieved its first successful harvest in 1979, sparking a boom in Hokkaido wines made from European grapes. Hokkaido’s subarctic climate is similar to many European countries, so it’s ideal for growing grapes!

Since licensing regulations for fruit wine production were eased in the 2000s, wineries have popped up all over Hokkaido!

Shochu

Every shochu lover knows that the most iconic shochu from Hokkaido is potato shochu.

Hokkaido’s shochu industry began in 1975, when a team of entrepreneurs decided to make a local specialty from the town of Kiyosato’s famous potatoes. After a lot of trial and error, Japan’s first true potato shochu was created by Kiyosato Shochu Distillery.

Various other ingredients are also used in local shochu, such as milk whey or the corn used in Sapporo Shusei’s shochu. We’re always watching to see what local brewers come up with next!

Gin

2010 brought a craft gin boom, and while Japan was a little late to the party, the popularity of Japanese gin skyrocketed in 2016 at the same time as Japanese whisky. Gin is now made all over Japan.

Hokkaido’s first craft gin was created by Hokkaido Liberty Whiskey in 2018, using local botanicals (plant-based ingredients) and water.

Made with quintessentially Japanese ingredients such as Hidaka kelp (kombu), dried shiitake mushrooms and thinly sliced and dried daikon radish, this gin draws out umami flavors unlike any other. This approach has massive potential, and we can’t wait to see what local brewers do with it!

So now you know the stories of the various types of liquor that are made in Hokkaido. Hokkaidoites’ love for their homeland and liquor is the same as it was generations ago! ♡