Umenoyado Shuzo: Co-creation Project "Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab" Completes "Exciting Sake" Created with Customers!

Umenoyado Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture; Representative Director: Kayo Yoshida) held the second phase (Day 2) of its co-creation project "Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab," which aims to create ideal sake with fans, at its head brewery on March 28, 2026. This project is an initiative to develop sake that directly reflects the voices of fans, inviting members of the official online community "Umenoyado KURABU." On Day 2, the freshly pressed sake, completed after the "Development Meeting (Day 1)" held in November 2025, was presented to the fans for their confirmation. Umenoyado Shuzo will continue to challenge itself in sake brewing, shaping "excitement" together with its customers. ## About Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab The Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab is a project where members of the online community "Umenoyado KURABU" and brewery staff collaborate, exchanging ideas to create sake together. Participants were recruited in advance from "Umenoyado KURABU" members and selected by lottery. During the two-day program, Day 1, held on November 23, 2025, included a special brewery tour and a "Development Meeting" to determine the taste direction and specifications. Brewing proceeded towards Day 2 on March 28, 2026, to achieve the taste exactly as decided in the concept. During the brewing period, voting was also conducted within the community for label designs and naming, ensuring that the fans' wishes were reflected in every detail of the sake. By allowing participants to experience everything from the sake manufacturing process to how to enjoy it from multiple perspectives, it became an experiential event characteristic of Umenoyado Shuzo, which aims to create a new sake culture. ## Decision on Label Design and Naming To embody the direction of the sake decided on Day 1 of the "Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab," six product names and label design proposals were announced in the online community "Umenoyado KURABU." - - ① Zenryaku, Katsuragisan no Fumoto de (To Whom It May Concern, At the Foot of Mt. Katsuragi) - ② Nara no Hagoromo (Robe of Nara) - ③ KURABU13 - ④ KURABU Kyosokyoku (KURABU Co-creation Symphony) - ⑤ Hirari Fuwari (Lightly, Softly) - ⑥ Fan no Minna to Kaigi Shitara Itsunomanika Umenoyado Shuzo de Saikyo ni "Wakuwaku" Suru 13% no Junmai Ginjo ga Kansei Shiteita Ken (The Case Where We Had a Meeting with All the Fans and Before We Knew It, Umenoyado Shuzo's Most "Exciting" 13% Junmai Ginjo Was Completed) Voting was conducted in the online community "Umenoyado KURABU" from February 18 (Wednesday) to March 1 (Sunday), 2026. Surprisingly, two proposals, "① Zenryaku, Katsuragisan no Fumoto de," which emphasized traditional sake characteristics, and the playful long name "② Fan no Minna to Kaigi Shitara Itsunomanika Umenoyado Shuzo de Saikyo ni 'Wakuwaku' Suru 13% no Junmai Ginjo ga Kansei Shiteita Ken," tied for first place. In response to this situation, a "Final Decisive Vote" was urgently held within the community. As a result of re-voting by community members, "Zenryaku, Katsuragisan no Fumoto de" was ultimately selected as the product name for this project. ## Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab Day 2 Held On March 28, 2026, "Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab Day 2" was held. Participants confirmed the finished quality of the sake after brewing through food pairing, enjoying the synergistic effects with food. They also challenged themselves with a "sake arrangement experience" to further enhance the concept they had devised. The exciting finale involved participants attaching their self-designed original labels to bottles and taking home their one-of-a-kind sake. ## ~Scenes from Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab Day 2~ ### The sake whose production was decided at the Day 1 development meeting was finally unveiled to the participants. When they confirmed that the sake poured into their glasses had achieved the concept of "a light, elegant, and refreshing sake with 13% alcohol, perfect for cherry blossom viewing season," participants expressed surprise, saying, "It turned out exactly as imagined!" They also enjoyed the difference in taste felt with temperature changes of the sake. When thoroughly chilled, its smooth mouthfeel and elegant aroma stood out, leading to comments like, "It's almost like it's not sake!" Furthermore, participants enjoyed food pairings featuring local Nara ingredients. They found excellent compatibility with Kakinoha-zushi (persimmon leaf sushi) and citrus and prosciutto salad, with participants commenting, "The saltiness and acidity pair well, and combining it with sake expands the deliciousness." ### In response to a participant's wish on Day 1, "I want to find a way to make my husband, who dislikes sake, enjoy it," Day 2 featured an arrangement experience using the completed sake. Together, everyone explored new ways to enjoy sake, breaking away from traditional frameworks. While exploring combinations with various fruits and juices, they discovered good compatibility with sparkling water and grapefruit juice, filling the venue with new discoveries and joyful exclamations like, "With this, even people who dislike sake can enjoy it together!" ## To Be Sold as a Limited Edition Sake at "Umenoyado Spring Brewery Festival 2026" The special Junmai Ginjo sake born from the "Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab" project, where fans co-created their ideal sake, will be sold as a limited edition at the "Umenoyado Spring Brewery Festival 2026," held over two days on May 16 (Saturday) and 17 (Sunday). In response to fans' requests for "a light, elegant, and refreshing Junmai Ginjo with 13% alcohol," it was crafted using 100% "Yamada Nishiki," often called the king of sake rice. You can enjoy its fruity aroma, a light refreshing sensation that spreads the moment it touches your palate, along with a soft rice sweetness and rich umami. Please enjoy this exciting, one-of-a-kind bottle, created by the fans' ideals and the brewers' skill, available only at the brewery festival. - ≪Product Name≫ - Zenryaku, Katsuragisan no Fumoto de - ≪Category≫ - Sake - ≪Ingredients≫ - Rice (domestic), Rice Koji (domestic rice) - ≪Rice Variety≫ - Yamada Nishiki - ≪Alcohol Content≫ - 13% - ≪Volume≫ - 720mL ## Background of the Co-creation Initiative Umenoyado Shuzo, with its corporate purpose of "creating new sake culture," sells products that excite customers, such as the Umenoyado Aragoshi series and the Otona no Kaniku no Numa series. As a sake brewery that has been making sake for over 130 years, the company launched the "Wakuwaku Sake Experience Lab" project with the desire to "create the sake our customers want while enjoying a 'wakuwaku' experience together with our fans." Project participants were invited to visit the brewery in Nara Prefecture, where they had the opportunity to exchange ideas with the brewers and discuss their ideal taste. This project is conducted with members of "Umenoyado KURABU," an online community for Umenoyado fans. In January 2025, the first co-created product with "Umenoyado KURABU," "Hare no Hi Lime Mint," was released. ## About Umenoyado KURABU "Umenoyado KURABU" is an online community for fans who support Umenoyado Shuzo. By registering for free, you will receive the latest information about Umenoyado Shuzo, behind-the-scenes development stories, and invitations to special events exclusively for members. Umenoyado KURABU **[Company Profile]** Umenoyado Shuzo Co., Ltd. Representative Director: Kayo Yoshida Location (Headquarters): 27-1 Teraguchi, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture, 639-2135 Japan Established: 1893 (Meiji 26) Business Activities: Manufacturing and sales of sake, liqueurs, and various beverages, product development URL: https://umenoyado.com/