Japanese sake producer Dassai has opened a state-of-the-art brewery and tasting room at 5 St. Andrew Road in Hyde Park. The $80 million project involves two buildings totaling 55,000 square feet.
Dassai is using New York water in along with traditional Japanese rice in the brewing process. The company is collaborating with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), also located in the Hyde Park, to further the education and awareness of sake in the U. S. When the project was first announced in 2018, executives from Dassai and leaders of CIA appeared together at an event to explain that as part of their partnership they would be developing curriculum, certification programs, and public classes.
Gov. Kathy Hochul welcomed the opening of Dassi’s brewery and tasting room.
“New York’s craft beverage manufacturers are engines for job creation, tourism, and regional economic growth,” Hochul said. “Dassai’s expansion into the Mid-Hudson Region builds on New York’s national and international leadership in agribusiness and will be a welcome addition to this industry.”
Empire State Development offered the Japan-based brewery up to $588,235 in performance-based tax credits through the Excelsior Jobs Program. Dassai has said the new facility is creating 32 jobs.
Dassai has created a new brand of premium sake to be produced in Hyde Park that it has named Dassai Blue.
Hiroshi Sakurai, who is Dassai’s chairman, said, “The expansion of production to the United States is a significant step towards realizing the desire I had when I started Dassai 30 years ago, which was to have Dassai enjoyed all over the world.”
The company said the Dassai Blue Sake Brewery initially will be open for public visits Thursdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. starting Oct. 12 in the form of small group tours and tastings by reservation only through its website dassai.com..
