Sakurai’s 200-Gallon Vat Produces Award-Winning Sake in Holbrook

Residents of Holbrook, Arizona, can now purchase a local alcoholic beverage that merges Japanese brewing techniques with Navajo ingredients. Atsuo Sakurai and his wife, Heather, operate Arizona Sake, a shop located just off Route 66 where they produce fermented rice drinks in a 200-gallon vat. The couple combines their cultural backgrounds in each bottle, creating products that have won competitions in Japan and internationally.

Sakurai is from Tokyo, a city approximately 6,000 miles from their current location. He worked in the sake industry in Japan before moving to Arizona to establish a business. Heather Sakurai is from the Navajo Nation. The couple incorporates Navajo tea into one of their specific sake varieties. Sakurai described the ingredient as a plant native to the region, noting that the resulting drink carries a distinct local character.

The production process is manual and slow. Workers wash and heat rice in baskets before transferring it to vats for fermentation. After the fermentation period concludes, the mixture is pressed under pressure to extract the liquid, a method Sakurai compares to pressing mash. He stated that it takes about three months to produce one bottle from start to finish. This hands-on approach contrasts with the rapid pace of modern automation, a distinction Sakurai values for the preservation of traditional industry methods.

Sakurai noted that visitors are often surprised to learn the sake originates from Holbrook. "Oh, yeah. Initially, nobody believed," he said. The shop offers traditional styles of sake, with some creations sold exclusively in the local area. Sakurai described the aroma of his products as beautiful, often compared by others to pear or blueberry. One taster identified a flavor profile of prickly pear in a specific batch, stating, "This is about as Arizona as it gets."

The couple’s business model relies on the slow, deliberate nature of their craft. Sakurai said he wants to save the type of business where technology does not replace the worker's role. He compared the threat of modern efficiency to the impact the interstate highway system had on businesses along Route 66. Despite these pressures, Sakurai expressed confidence in the longevity of his operation.

When asked if Arizona Sake will still be operating in 100 years, Sakurai answered, "Hopefully." The shop continues to produce its award-winning beverages in the same 200-gallon vat, maintaining a presence in the Holbrook community through its unique blend of global tradition and local heritage.