Dam fine vintage: Japan sake brewers take novel approach to storage

Just as with wine, aging a sake can produce a smoother drink, but there is a cost in maintaining the right conditions for storage. A group of brewers in central Japan, however, has found a virtually free alternative -- storing the drink inside tunnels in dams.Thirteen brewers are storing products in the Maruyama, Agigawa and Origawa dams in Gifu Prefecture and the Yahagi Dam that straddles it and neighboring Aichi Prefecture at no cost from the operators.While Japanese sake typically matures over a year, some benefit from longer storage. Usually, investment is required in facilities that ca…READ FULL ARTICLE