Yumezukuri Combines Yamahai Vintages and Whisky Blending for Noto Recovery

Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, has introduced Yumezukuri, a limited blended sake project connected to recovery support for the Noto Peninsula. The project was reported by [-5°C] Sake Lab on August 20, 2026, and is also documented on the producer’s official website.

A Collaboration Between Sake and Whisky Crafts

The project brings together toji Naohiko Noguchi and Seiichi Koshimizu, a former Suntory chief blender who now serves as the company’s honorary chief blender. Koshimizu applied blending experience developed in whisky to a group of matured yamahai sake held by the brewery.

Rather than fixing the blend around a single label or rice variety, the project examined the matured stocks without relying on their brand identities. The aim was to find a structure that retained the character of the component sakes while presenting them as a unified blend.

Nine Base Sakes Across Seven Vintage Years

According to the producer, nine base sakes were selected from seven years of yamahai vintages made with five rice varieties. The result is presented in two expressions, Vol.1 and Vol.2, each assembled with a different blending direction.

This approach places the focus on maturation and blending as production choices. It also shows how techniques associated with another drinks category can be studied and adapted without replacing the brewery’s established yamahai methods.

A Project Connected to Noto

Noto is Noguchi’s birthplace and remains personally connected to his life and work. The producer states that a portion of sales from Yumezukuri will be donated as relief funding for recovery from the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

The project also incorporates regional craft. Its label uses handmade paper produced by Noto Jinko Washi in Wajima with diatomaceous earth from Noto, while the calligraphy was created by Tansetsu Ogino.

Read the original Sake Lab article in Japanese.
View the producer’s official Yumezukuri project page in Japanese.