Latest news with #Dassai—ComposingtheFuture
Yomiuri Shimbun
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
2025 Expo Osaka : Visitors Enjoy Opportunity to Drink Alcoholic Beverages from Around the World
The Yomiuri Shimbun A server pours a glass of Mliko, a style of beer that is mainly foam, in the Czechia Pavilion in Konohana Ward, Osaka. OSAKA — The 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo offers many attractions, with one of them being the opportunity to drink various alcoholic beverages from overseas. One Japanese sake brewery has even begun selling a drink that it made in collaboration with another country's pavilion to help boost the number of visitors to the Expo. In the Czechia Pavilion's restaurant, visitors can drink Pilsner Urquell, a beer from the Czech Republic, that can be poured in three different ways. Each drink has a different amount of foam, and the manner of enjoying the drink is particular to the country. One glass of the beer is priced at ¥1,450 including tax. Mliko has the least amount of beer and is the heaviest on foam. 'Even though my mouth was full of foam, it was sweet and tasty,' said Yu Shiotani, 26, a public servant from Kobe who visited the pavilion to drink the Mliko beer. From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m only, visitors at the Peru Pavilion can try a free Pisco sour cocktail. Pisco is a distilled sprit made from grapes. The cocktail's special feature is the floating meringue covering the top. 'The taste and aroma are good, and they aren't things I can experience in Japan,' commented Takashi Morikawa, 70, from Kyoto City after trying the cocktail. 'This Expo is a must-go for people who love drinking.' Courtesy of Asahi Shuzo Co. A bottle of special edition 'Dassai — Composing the Future' that was produced with Austria. Asahi Shuzo Co., a Japanese sake brewery, developed a special edition drink with Austria to be served at the Expo. The brewery, based in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, has sold a special edition of its Dassai sake, named 'Dassai — Composing the Future' in the Austria Pavilion since May 22. A 720-milliliter bottle of the sake is priced at ¥8,000 including tax. Harald Mahrer, president of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, became fond of Dassai when he drank it at a sushi restaurant in Austria, according to Asahi Shuzo. He then proposed some form of joint project. Recorded concert performances of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra were played next to the tanks brewing the sake. 'The two countries are bridged through sake brewing,' said a company official, about his expectations. 'It may also create a good change in the taste [of the sake].'
Asahi Shimbun
23-05-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
A boozy waltz: Sake brewed to world-class orchestral track
Hiroshi Sakurai, chairperson of Asahi Shuzo Co., and Philipp Gardie, vice president of the Austrian Federal Institute of Industry, with bottles of 'Dassai — Composing the Future' on May 22 in Osaka. (Akina Nishi) OSAKA—Renowned Dassai sake maker Asahi Shuzo Co. and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber unveiled a collaborative brew at the Osaka Kansai Expo's Austria Pavilion on May 22. The sake 'Dassai — Composing the Future" features the pavilion's theme in its name as a literal interpretation of it, with the collaborators adding the unconventional step of playing music performed by the leading orchestras of both countries in the sake's fermentation tank for about 40 days. Production began in the summer of 2023 at the suggestion of the Austrian side. Johann Strauss II's 'Lagoon-Waltz' was selected as the specific piece and was performed by members of the Vienna Philharmonic, the world's most prestigious orchestra, and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra in separate recording sessions. The recordings were then combined into a single track for Asahi Shuzo to play as brewers worked on the sake that was completed in March. According to the brewer based in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, having it on loop was not a gimmick. The sound wavelengths from the waltz were enough to vibrate the tank, facilitating the release of dissolved gas and changing the yeast's behavior throughout the fermentation process. A representative of the company said, 'The sake tastes very rounded and soft after 40 days of listening to the music around the clock.' Hiroshi Sakurai, the company's chairperson, said, 'When we received the proposal, we were beyond thrilled. We have been working hard to produce good sake, and it shows in the taste.' Philipp Gardie, vice president of the Austrian Federal Institute of Industry, attended the unveiling ceremony and said the beverage represents music and sake well, the two being embedded in the culture and values of both countries. Limited to 8,000 bottles, this rendition of Dassai is now available at the Austrian pavilion as well as department stores in the Kansai region until Oct. 13, the expo's last day. Each bottle is 720 ml and costs 8,000 yen ($56). It can also be found in Austria and certain parts of Europe.
