Mie

Sake in Mie

Mie Prefecture lies almost in the center of the Japanese archipelago, on the east side of the Kii Peninsula, and faces Ise Bay and the Pacific Ocean from east to south. The list of breweries on the Mie Sake Brewers Association's website shows 31 breweries in total in three areas: 北勢 (the north), 中南勢 (the center and south) and Iga (as of October 2026). In June 2020, “Mie” was designated under the geographical indication (GI) system, which protects the names of sake-producing regions. Its condition is a taste that is warm and full-bodied overall. It has a smooth texture in which umami is felt from the moment it enters the mouth; its sweetness and dryness are both gentle, and a refreshing acidity leaves a clear finish. The GI standard describes it as sake to enjoy with food, such as shellfish and crustaceans.

Mountain water and winter winds support this taste. Mountains over 1,000 m high, such as the 鈴鹿山脈 range and the Kii Mountains, run from the north to the west of the prefecture. Summers are warm because of the Kuroshio Current, but in winter, dry, cold winds called “鈴鹿おろし” and “布引おろし” blow over the mountains from the northeast and bring the cold. In the inland Iga Basin, the temperature difference is especially large. Snow that piles up on the 鈴鹿山脈 range in winter and rain that falls on the rainy Kii Mountains reach every part of the prefecture as water suited to sake brewing.

Mie is home to the Ise Grand Shrine, and from around the Edo period worshippers came from all over Japan on pilgrimages to Ise. Sake brewing flourished in Mie to welcome these worshippers. Mie is also rich in seafood from Ise Bay and the Pacific, and from ancient times through the Heian period it served as a source of “nie” (贄), offerings made mainly of seafood to the imperial court. Mie's sake developed as sake to drink with this seafood. In recent years, the brewers have been working with the prefecture's research body, the Mie Prefecture Industrial Research Institute, to develop their own yeasts (the microorganism that carries out fermentation), and young technicians share information and learn new brewing techniques together in the “Mie Prefecture Sake Study Group” (三重県清酒研究会).

Brewery map

Featured breweries

• Kiyasho Shuzo 木屋正酒造Jikon 而今NabariRead the article
• 清水清三郎商店作SuzukaRead the article