All Nippon Airways has partnered with renowned sake sommelier Yasuyuki Kitahara who is a manager of Conrad Tokyo’s Cerise and Collage restaurants. The Kikisake-shi 2014 winner has helped ANA to select the sakes for 2019.

36 new Japanese sakes of which 19 are for in-flight and 17 for ANA lounges have been selected, increasing the total to 44 available to its customers. Some 300 varieties of sakes were screened from a list and narrowed down to 90. Tastings and consultations with ANA service staff followed and a final tasting paired with in-flight cuisine were held where 36 sakes made it to the final cut. During the initial tasting, participants tasted the same sakes twice – one in the morning and another in the afternoon.

Selections from the new Sake Menu include KID Junmai Daiginjo Sparkling from Heiwa Shuzou Co. Ltd (Wakayama Prefecture), Kubota Manju from Asahi Brewery (Niigata Prefecture), Haneya Junmaidaiginjo 50 Tsubasa from Fumigiku Sake Brewery (Toyoma Prefecture), Junmai Daiginjo Hakkaisan Sno-aged 3 years private label from Hakkaisan Brewery Co. Ltd (Niigata Prefecture), Hiraizumi Junmai Daijingo from Hiraizumi Honpo (Akita Prefecture)

Highly-rated sakes such as the Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute, Jigon, Nabeshima and Denshu will continue to be served after 1 March 2019.