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Award-Winning Hiro® Sake Announces the Debut of Hiro Saketini Ready-To-Drink Cocktail

Debuting in Florida This Month, Hiro Saketini Is the First Saketini RTD in the US Market And Will See Additional Flavors and Distribution Across the U.S. in 2023.

MIAMI, Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hiro Sake®, the award-winning, handcrafted, premium sake from Japan, is proud to announce the introduction of HIRO SAKETINI, the brand’s first Ready-To-Drink canned saketini cocktail and the first saketini RTD in the US market. Hiro Saketini will debut with a Black Cherry and a Watermelon Saketini in Florida this month at on-premise accounts initially, following to the off-premise market. In Florida, Hiro has named Breakthru Beverage Group as their distributor partner for Hiro Saketini. Distribution and additional flavors will expand across the U.S. in 2023.

Hiro Saketini cans will be available in a 4-pack (12 fl oz cans; 5% ABV) for a suggested retail price of $12.99 per pack.

Award-winning Hiro® Sake announces the debut of Hiro Saketini ready-to-drink cocktail. Debuting in Florida this month with Black Cherry and Watermelon, Hiro Saketini Is the first saketini RTD in the US market and will see additional flavors and distribution across the U.S. in 2023.

Consumers are embracing single-serve, ready-to-drink cocktails for their convenience to enjoy well-known drinks at home, at the beach, at a party or in other off-premise settings. According to DISCUS (Distilled Spirits Council of the US), spirits-based single-serve ready-to-drink cocktails are currently the fastest growing segment, up 42% in 2021 vs. previous year resulting in $1.6 billion in sales.

“When we launched Hiro Sake in 2011 we were hopeful that the U.S. market for sake would grow, develop and mature – and it did,” says Carlos Arana, Hiro Sake co-founder and CEO. “We are now moving into the quickly growing RTD segment as a brand extension to our bottle business. We noted that there are very few RTD products that use sake as a base and Hiro would be the first RTD line extension from an existing sake brand.It is the perfect serve for consumers that are looking for an easy-to-drink, easy-to-transport delicious, light and refreshing drink.”

The Saketini is a well-known cocktail that has been around for more than 40 years and is a staple drink at many Japanese and Asian restaurants. The Hiro Saketini is made with imported Japanese Hiro Sake Red, a junmai sake brewed in Japan, which is blended with natural fruit flavorings and carbonated water.

“We have seen the explosion of the RTD sector of the market,” says Marco Destefanis, Hiro Sake co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer. “We firmly believe that the saketini is a great opportunity to enter the RTD category and are proud to bring the first saketini RTD to this new and rapidly expanding segment. It was a very natural progression for our company, after more than 10 years in the sake business.”

In other Hiro Sake news, the brand was originally launched in 2011 with the award winning Hiro Red a junmai sake, Hiro Blue a junmai ginjo sake and in 2016 introduced ultra-premium Hiro Gold a junmai daiginjo sake. Hiro is made using only specially polished rice from premier rice-growing regions in Japan. The brand is available in more than 20 markets in the US, in Mexico (2015), in Canada (2016), in Japan (2018) and in the Caribbean and Australia (2019). The brand survived the pandemic by concentrating on fewer, key markets and has recently changed distributors in California to Wine Warehouse and in New York to LNJ Brands. In Texas, one of Hiro Sake’s biggest markets, the brand has seen significant sell-through in the off-premise.

ABOUT HIRO SAKE 

Hiro Sake is premium Japanese sake brewed in JAPAN. Hiro offers Hiro Red (junmai), Hiro Blue (junmai ginjo) and the ultra-premium Hiro Gold (Junmai Daiginjo). In 2011 Hiro’s Toji (Sake Master) was awarded first prize in a Japanese national sake competition, regarded as one of the most important sake competitions in the world. Hiro is imported by Hiro Sake USA in Manhasset, NY. More information about the company can be found at www.hirosake.com, on Facebook, on Twitter @hiro_sake and on Instagram @Tryhirosake.

 

Please enjoy Hiro Sake – and Kanpai responsibly.

Welcome to Issue #67 of SIN.

As can bee seen in some of the stories in this issue, there are some interesting times ahead. The sake industry has traditionally been notorious for its inability to move with the times, but things have been getting better in recent years. Breweries developing innovative marketing approaches, new alliances being formed, and shifts in the status quo, have set the industry on an exciting new path that no one could have completely foreseen. A famous politician once said, “The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change”. While he probably wasn’t talking about the sake industry, it certainly applies.

 

Sake Industry News

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Wine Competition Gold Medal Winner and Reserve Class Champion

We are pleased to announce that Hiro Blue was awarded a Gold medal and Reserve Class Champion at the 19th Annual Rodeo Uncorked!®️ International Wine Competition.

This 19th annual competition was held in honor of Dalton, founding member of the annual wine competition, as well as the Rodeo’s five wine committees.

This year’s competition featured 2,862 entries from 17 countries, including France, Spain, Italy, Israel, Peru, Japan, Argentina and South Africa.

Of those entries, 480 entries were from Texas wineries, and 203 entries came from this year’s featured region, Washington State, an established wine-growing region with a reputation for excellence in wine production.

“The wine industry is a vital sector of Texas agriculture, which is why we are incredibly proud to host one of the largest international wine competitions in the country, as it further supports our mission of promoting agriculture,” said Rodeo President and CEO Chris Boleman.

Congratulations to all medal winners!

Award-winning Hiro® Sake announces the debut of Hiro single serve cup sake

Hiro Sake, the award-winning, handcrafted, premium sake from Japan, is proud to announce the debut of its first single serve glass cup sake (180ml, 15% ABV), a term commonly used to reference this serving size. The Hiro Red Junmai Sake in these single serves contain the same liquid that was awarded the gold medal at the 2018 SFIWC.

Hiro Sake is 100% produced in Japan where cup sake is a popular trend. Taking a cue from Japan, Carlos Arana, Marco Destefanis and Claudia Valotta, co-founders of Hiro Sake, decided to introduce single serve Hiro Sake cups to the U.S. and Australia markets to capitalize on the success of the industry award-winning Hiro Sake portfolio and expand the brand into a new market segment of single serve products. The single serve cups not only allow new consumers an easy option to try sake for the first time without committing to a full bottle. They make it easy and convenient to take on the go, drop into a cooler, or even make a cocktail for two.

​Many congratulations to the Hiro Sake teams in Murakami and in the U.S. For a second time, the San Francisco International Wine Competition awarded Hiro Gold with a double gold medal, 94 points and “Best Sake”. We are very proud!​

Hiro Gold Junmai Daiginjo is the Dom of Sake

Thank you Claire for the lovely piece on the latest issue of Modern Luxury San Diego! #modernluxurysd
Please click Here to read more about our Award-Winning Hiro Gold Sake in Modern Luxury.

Award-Winning Hiro Gold Sake in Modern Luxury

Award-Winning-Hiro-Gold-Sake-in-Modern-Luxury

Please click Here to read more about our Award-Winning Hiro Gold Sake in Modern Luxury.

Hiro Red Junmai Tokubetsu takes home the Gold medal at this years San Francisco International Wine Competition

We are very proud to announce that Hiro Red Junmai Tokubetsu has won a GOLD medal at this year San Francisco International Wine Competition and was awarded 91 points out of 100. The credit goes to our brewing partner Tayio Shuzo and our Master Brewer Masaru San! KANPAI!

Hiro Sake At Wanderluxxe Emmy Event

Award-Winning Hiro® Sake Announces The Debut Of Hiro Gold In Japan

Currently Distributed in North America, Hiro Gold Enters the Japan Market Via the Distribution Arm of Prestigious Taiyo Sake Brewery

MIAMIDec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Hiro Sake®, the award-winning, handcrafted, premium sake from Japan, is proud to announce its market entry to Japan, the country where it is produced. Hiro is hand crafted Japanese sake using only the finest ingredients at the Taiyo Sake Brewery in the Niigata Prefecture. The prestigious Taiyo Brewery, considered one of the finest craft sake breweries in Japan, will be distributing Hiro Gold in select cities in Japan beginning in 2018.

Hiro Sake was developed in 2011 by Carlos AranaMarco Destefanis and Claudia Valotta, co-founders of Hiro Sake. They launched Hiro in the U.S. with Hiro Blue, a junmai ginjo sake, and Hiro Red, a ginjo sake now available in more than 20 markets*. After winning top awards year on year as best in class sake, Hiro was launched in Mexico (2015) and in Canada (2016).

Based on the success of the portfolio and the growing demand for premium sakes, the founders decided to expand the range in 2016 with the introduction of HIRO GOLD, an ultra-premium sake known as Junmai Daiginjo sake. Hiro Gold is crafted from 100% Koshi-Tanrei sake rice which is grown exclusively in the Niigata Prefecture, the premier sake producing region in Japan and the area where all Hiro Sake is brewed.

Hiro Gold is produced in limited quantities only once a year by Hiro’s Toji (Master Brewer) and his group of Kurabitos (team of Brewers) at the esteemed Taiyo Sake Brewery. This prestigious brewery is a ten-time gold medal winner at the National New Sake Awards, the largest and most acknowledged sake competition in Japan.

The Taiyo Sake Brewery is well-known in Japan for their exceptional sake production and takes pride in a centuries-long, unbroken line of sake making history and tradition in the city of Murakami in the Niigata Prefecture. Taiyo was formed through the merger of 14 different Murakami breweries, one brewery having been established in 1635.

“The Taiyo Brewery produces some of Japan’s finest sakes and it is a testament to the high quality of Hiro Gold that one of the most important brewers in Japan – our brewer – wants to introduce it into their own home market,” says Carlos Arana, co-founder and CEO of Hiro Sake. “As we celebrate our sixth anniversary, we continue to be excited about the growth of the sake category in the U.S. and we are thrilled to partner with our colleagues at the Taiyo Sake Brewery to bring Hiro Gold to the Japanese market. We couldn’t have asked for better start to 2018.”

Production of Hiro Gold will be increased to meet the demand for the Japanese market. Initially, Hiro Gold will be introduced in Tokyo and Niigata with more Japanese markets to follow in 2018.

Hiro Gold is available exclusively in Duty Free and in select key markets in the U.S. with a suggested retail price of $100.00 (15% alc./vol.; 720ml). Hiro Gold was the winner of a Double Gold Medal for Best Japanese Sake at the 2016 San Francisco International Wine Competition.

In U.S. news, Hiro Sake LLC has appointed two new distributors: Johnson Brothers in Nevada (a move from Southern Wine & Spirits) and Superior Beverage Group in Ohio.

*Hiro Blue and Hiro Red are available in these U.S. markets: AZ, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, MD, MA, NC, NJ, NY, NV, OH, RI, SC, UT, VA, VT and TX.

ABOUT HIRO SAKE
Hiro Sake is premium Japanese sake brewed in the Niigata Prefecture, the premiere sake-producing region of Japan. Hiro offers Hiro Red (junmai), Hiro Blue (junmai ginjo) and the ultra-premium Hiro Gold (Junmai Daiginjo). In 2011 Hiro’s Toji (Sake Master) was awarded first prize in a Japanese national sake competition, regarded as one of the most important sake competitions in the world. Hiro is imported by Hiro Sake USA in Manhasset, NY. More information about the company can be found at www.hirosake.com, on Facebook, on Twitter @hiro_sake and on Instagram @Tryhirosake.

Please enjoy Hiro Sake – and Kanpai responsibly.