It was discovered that nine of 29 sake brewers in Saga Prefecture plan to raise the suggested retail price of their sake between April and May in an effort to combat rising production costs and power rates. The price hike will be around ¥100 for a 1.8 liter bottle of jousen (grade A) sake. Due to rising grain prices around the globe and stepped up demand for domestic rice due to mandated rice traceability schemes, the cost of sake rice has risen 5 – 6%. The cost of fuel for steaming equipment has also increased. One brewer, Yamato Shuzo, said it had been cutting salaries and fuel costs, but felt it had no choice but to raise prices when a power rate hike was announced for April. The president, Soichi Kitajima, said, “It was a difficult decision that had to be made to preserve the quality of the sake. I hope fans of Saga sake will understand.” Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, Mar. 7
Yamato Shuzo sake. Source.
