This is the Dassai Sake Ice, an amazake ice cream crafted with sakekasu (sake lees, a byproduct of brewing) from Dassai, one of Japan’s most popular sake brands. The ice cream was initially created by Fujireika in Hakodate, Hokkaidō. This company first obtained the brewery’s sake lees online during the 2010s and developed the ice cream through a process of trial and error. Responding to a decline in sales caused by the pandemic, the brand began exporting the ice cream globally in early 2021. By mid-2023, it had made its way to Sydney.

The ice cream was a blend of sake lees from Dassai in Yamaguchi and milk from Hokkaidō, a region celebrated for its dairy products. Upon tasting, the ice cream exhibited a subtle sweetness and a creamy texture, carrying a delicate dairy flavour that captured the mild vanilla notes of Hokkaidō milk. The ice cream was smooth with the sake lees contributing a subtle and unobtrusive texture. The amazake introduced itself with a gentle sake aroma, consistently present with every scoop, devoid of the bitter undertones that often accompany sake ice creams, as seen in those from SAKEICE. The amazake’s refined elegance in flavour was unmistakable and thoroughly enjoyable.

This Dassai Sake Ice contained 80 g. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2023.