Shichiken and Alain Ducasse: A Spirit from Sake Lees

Updated 8 November 2026 · Originally published: 2024-05-11

Shichiken, the Yamanashi brewery founded in 1750, and chef Alain Ducasse developed Alain Ducasse Sustainable Spirit from sake lees. The lees remain after pressing sake and still contain alcohol and aromatic compounds. Distillation gives this brewing by-product another use.

The producer describes maturation in whisky casks from Suntory’s Hakushu Distillery. Its account distinguishes the ginjo-derived freshness from the mellowness associated with cask maturation. The spirit is a distilled product, distinct from the collaborators’ sparkling sake.

Shichiken describes a further local cycle: the nutrient-rich residue after distillation feeds Yamanashi wagyu cattle, and compost from the cattle returns to rice fields. This is the producer’s account of resource reuse. It is not, by itself, a quantified life-cycle assessment of the product’s environmental impact.

Sources

• Shichiken: Sustainable Spirit project
• Shichiken: product information

This article shares educational, historical and cultural information. For readers aged 20 and over. It does not encourage alcohol consumption.

Related information

• JUYONDAI Ranbiki
• SHICHIKEN Alain Ducasse Sustainable Spirit

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