The home of
SakeCellars
Melbourne’s Only Importer and Wholesaler of Japanese Premium Grade Sake
Artisan Sake from Japan’s Premier Boutique Micro-Breweries
Perfect for quality-savvy Australian consumers who thrive in the discovery of new and exciting experiences.
Hand-curated artisan sake, only made available by our in-depth sake knowledge and hands-on brewing experience.
With the indisputable reputation of our suppliers as the leading Japanese boutique sake breweries of our modern time, our brewers command top place on the international stage from three core criteria: striking clarity in the artistic vision and craftsmanship, unparalleled commitment to quality, and a depth of knowledge and experience that spans centuries.
These gold medal, award winning bottles are exactly what is required to meet the standards set by savvy customers primed for the high-end. While sake’s subliminal sweetness with exotic Asian flavours has a similar ABV to wine, it is a powerful opportunity to take full advantage of shoppers’ increasingly globalised expectations, desire for mid to low alcohol options and passion for creative exploration.
Our Breweries
KYOHIME SHUZO (KYOTO)
Optimum purity and natural architecture, where reverence and patience meet.
From Fushimi district, just 5.7 km south of bustling Kyoto central, Kyohime emerged onto the international stage in 2018, quietly yet confidently claiming a series of gold and platinum medals at the international sake competition ‘Kura Master’ in France.
Established in 1918, the brewery (that once proudly etched its name on Japan’s most prestigious dining experience, Kaiseki cuisine) has been a landmark of the city that beholds and blends a rich heritage of ancient traditions with an incredible, cosmopolitan, almost futuristic social fabric.
The journey from heritage-laden brewery of Kaiseki cuisine to one of contemporary instinct was not coincidental, but was instead, influenced by the merging of this colourful social tapestry, strengthened through their relentless pursuit of quality, attention to detail and determination, all refined over the last 100 years through their sense of self-awareness and attunement to the time and space within which they exist.
They continue to be guided by the ideals of simplicity, focusing on what matters most and excluding what is not necessary. Shirota is the visionary behind Kyohime's modernisation. He and his small team of fifteen, follow the naturally occurring rhythms and patterns to draw optimum purity and natural architecture through a long, slow maturation cycle.
KUBIKI SHUZO (NIIGATA)
Ruled by nature, defined by community.
On a narrow 240km long northwest coastal stretch is Kakizaki, home to 360-year old brewery, Kubiki. Renowned for humility, work ethics, skills and tenacity, their brewing management focuses on fermentation temperature and minerals in the water.
Producing an extensive range of premium and coastal affair focused, cool-climate sake is no surprise from a place where every layer of experience is overcome by the power of snowflakes. Every winter, moisture laden winds from Siberia dump their icy load in 500cm of snowfall, only after being denied passing by the Japanese alps, peaking above 3000m.
Ruled by nature, defined by its geography, life passes at a gentle pace, however unremarkable and inconsequential, calling sea changers and returning locals into its heart where community and relationships are intrinsic to self-identity.
Locals exchange their own honest critique over the current year’s release. Their influence is palpable as Kubiki brewery and its customers share and grow together and it is from this social fabric that the brewery became a 2021 gold medal winner in the French Kura master competition.
Hold a Sake Tasting Event at Your Venue
sakeCHAT is a public tasting event that we offer to host at your venue to help drive your sake sales. Everything is provided, so all you have to do is sit back and relax.
We appeal to your customers' curiosity in exciting and new alcohol categories, delivering premium-grade sake and its delicious and divine cocktail options in a relaxed and engaging atmosphere.
Brought to you by Okkey Sumiyoshi (Melbourne’s own sake sommelier, chief brewer, importer and competition judge), this informative and entertaining event delivers an average of 65% all the way up to 76% on-the-spot sales conversion rates!
Absolutely everything is provided, including sake bottles, glasses, spittoons and garnish, along with all the digital and print marketing materials, representing our long-term commitment to building a solid and broader interest in sake amongst your customers.
Come and see sakeCHAT in action
Audacious Monk Cellars
DATE & TIME: 8th September 2023 From 4:00 pm
ADDRESS: 128-130 Regent St, Preston VIC 3072
PHONE: 0415 633 364
Audacious Monk Cellars
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A new frontier in cocktails is taking the world by storm.
Temperatures are rising around the world for sake cocktails, thanks to its simple yet broader options for garnishing.
From Japan to New York, whether street or chic, consumers have locked eyes with a desire for premium products that deliver sophisticated and complex flavours they can master in a fun, casual way. Rising from the events of 2020, choosing where, how and what they drink is front of mind like never before and that’s why sake cocktails have become one of the fastest growing categories on the global market.
Sake cocktails bring a sweet note that blends seamlessly with almost anything the western palate desires. From citrus to fruits to dairy, premium grade sake blends and adapts with mixing agents like no other, where even a dash delivers impeccable value and a flavour sensation that has to be experienced to be believed.
Welcome to the bar
FIZZ WIZZ
SAKE & TONIC
A sparkling sensation
Enter stage left, the all-round cocktail mix for any season, any palate, any day. This sparkling spectacle is the palate cleansing blank slate you need to flex your creative juices using your pick of seltzer, tonic, sparkling water or club soda with added fruit flavours for a fresh, bright, zest. Dial it up or down from 4.5% to 12% ABV and you’ll have your audience in the palm of your hand.
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Mixer:
- Your choice of tonic water
- An ice cube
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A reference for AVB:
30mL sake + 70mL mixer = ABV 4.5% or 0.4 standard drink
80mL sake + 20mL mixer = ABV 12.0% or 0.9 standard drink
SPLISH SPLASH
FRUIT GARNISH
A perfect alternative to wine
As Chardonnay is to Brie, garnished sake is akin to the classic white wine and cheese pairing. Plunge through the heart of savoury sake with citrus flavours for a fresh, mild, clean mouthfeel that leaves subliminal sweetness in its wake…a perfect alternative to wine for dinner or an afternoon tipple.
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Garnish options:
Tips: Start experimenting with one fruit per drink and then later try with multiple garnish ingredients.- Lemon
- Lime
- Fig
- Lychee
- Blueberry
- Raspberry
- Plums
- Others of your choice
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Method:
- An ice cube
- 80mL sake (0.9 standard drink)
- 20mL soda water
- Simply muddle fruits into sake
- Enjoy!
SITTING PRETTY
NEAT
A Purist’s adventure
Quench the appetite of your full strength enthusiasts with a supreme Japanese experience. Renowned as their go-to aperitif for the after work crowd ready to unload the day, sake neat works in lockstep with umami packed salty dishes. Serve sake in its purest form with tapas or cheese to elevate any twilight experience.
Pretentious-free, accessible, approachable and grounded in everyday life, sake cocktails hit the palate with simple, straightforward, fresh and flavourful fun. Embellishing the natural taste of every ingredient is its superpower. Come and slide into its mellow, delicate undercurrent that masks the boozy flavour for a rich, silken texture.
TRANQUILITY TIPPLE
VEGETABLE GARNISH
If you’re looking for a yummy new cocktail that will charge up a conversation with your beloved friends, cucumber with sake is an improvised twist on a classic cocktail.
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Garnish options:
Tips: Start experimenting with one vegetable per drink and then later try with multiple garnish ingredients.- Cucumber sliced
- Cherry tomato cut in half
- A pinch of ground ginger
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
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Method:
- An ice cube
- 80mL sake (0.9 standard drink)
- 20mL soda water
- Simply muddle garnish into sake
- Enjoy!
HAWAII HIGHBALL
SAKE & COCONUT WATER
A journey to the tropics
Elevate the mild, nutty flavour of coconut with premium sake’s sweetness and drop into paradise; a golden handshake for casual drinkers, low-alcohol strength seekers and first time sake experimenters that swirls over the mid palate for a sumptuous summer romance.
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Method:
- An ice cube
- 60mL sake (0.7 Standard drink)
- 40mL coconut water
- Simply muddle coconut water with sake
- Enjoy!
CHūHAI CHAI
SAKE & CHAI
Tea and sake are two of life's greatest pleasures, so it makes sense to put them together!
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Tea options:
- Chai Tea
- Black Tea
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Method:
- 80mL sake (0.9 standard drink)
- Pour sake into a heat resistant glass or vessel
- Heat for 15 to 17 seconds in a microwave for an ideal temperature to < 25C° (Tip: Limit the temperature under 25C° in order to avoid the whiff of alcohol attacking your nose as you bring the glass closer to your mouth)
- Drop the tea bag into sake and jiggle the tea bag to your liking
- Enjoy!
GARDEN OF EDEN
HERB GARNISH
Nature’s bounty in a single glass will transport you to a time when the air was pristine and the water pure.
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Garnish options:
- Mint
- Basil
- Lavender
- Lemon Verbena
- Rosemary
- Coriander leaves
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Method:
- An ice cube
- 80mL sake (0.9 standard drink)
- 20mL soda water
- Simply muddle fresh herbs into
- Enjoy!
Sake Playbook is your on-the-shelf recipe card to show your customers exactly how to make delicious cocktails with sake!
Sake with Sass
Where the Taste Buds Tingle
Driven by the objective to become a potent, niche solution for hospitality enterprises in Melbourne, we embarked on a journey in 2018 to build Alternative Species as the quality supplier and most trusted source of premium grade sake.
Our directly and exclusively sourcedsake portfolio supplied under a brand 'SakeCellars' is an innovative collection ofpremium boutique bottles produced by some ofthe finest microbreweries in Japan. These bottlesare made with striking clarity in the artistic vision and unparalleled commitment to quality and craftsmanship… exactly what is required to meet the standards set by savvy customers primed for the high-end, while also responding to new and existing customer demands for products that conform to their diverse social and cultural values, beliefs and interests.
Amid the customer demand for in-depth product knowledge and the challenges this can bring to your business, we are committedto delivering ongoing support for your sales and promotions. Working side by side with you to build product specific knowledge, our unique combination of sake mastery, including tasting skills and sake brewing, provides you with an edge over your competitors with superior and global customer service.
Okkey Sumiyoshi, founder of Alternative Species, is a certified International Kikisake-shi (Sake Sommelier) by Sake Service Institute International, as well as Chief Sake Brewer at Australian craft sake brewery ‘Umami·Smith’ in Bayswater, Victoria. He is your personal sake sommelier, brewer, educator and renowned competition judge as your bridge to Japan’s sake revolution that is taking the world by storm.
Download our brochures to learn more about SakeCellars - who we are, what we do and how we do it.
