There’s a brand new alcoholic KitKat to add to our souvenir wishlist.

Ever since Nestlé Japan released the world’s first-ever Sake KitKat back in 2016, the chocolate giant has been infusing KitKats with other popular Japanese tipples, including plum and yuzu liqueurs.

Produced under the supervision of former Japanese soccer star and now accomplished sake connoisseur Hidetoshi Nakata, these premium alcohol varieties have proven to be hugely popular, and now Nakata is bringing a new flavour to the lineup — Yoghurt Sake.

▼ Nakata travels the country looking for new and unusual sake varieties.

For this new release, Nakata travelled north to the Niizawa Sake Brewery, founded in Miyagi Prefecture in 1873, saying he wanted to introduce the world to new possibilities for Japanese sake that are not yet well-known.

What he’s introducing certainly isn’t well-known, as it’s a rice wine made with super rich Jersey yoghurt. Said to have “an exquisite balance between the astringency and sweetness of yoghurt and the refreshing sharpness of sake”, the alcoholic beverage brewed by Niizawa is said to pair well with chocolate.

▼ Niizawa’s fifth-generation president, Iwao NiizawaIwao, has been making the Yoghurt Sake since 2010.


The joint collaboration between the brewery and Nestle Japan aims to introduce the yoghurt sake to a much wider audience, as this rice wine can only be transported at temperatures lower than five degrees Celsius, making it relatively rare. At higher temperatures, there’s a risk of fermentation continuing in the bottle, which means bottles could explode, making exports difficult.

These restrictions around distribution make it a very hard-to-get local tipple, even in Japan, but now it can be enjoyed by people worldwide in the form of a KitKat called the Yoghurt Sake KitKat.

The new KitKats, which contain 0.5-percent alcohol, come in individually packaged mini bars.

The sky-blue packaging is said to recall images of a jersey cow eating grass under a blue sky, while also expressing the refreshing feeling you get from enjoying the taste of yogurt.

The Yoghurt Sake KitKats are said to taste like more than just yoghurt, with the aroma and flavour of Japanese sake also well pronounced. The new KitKats will be joining other premium sake-flavoured KitKats on souvenir store shelves nationwide from 16 March, with each nine-piece box retailing for 700 yen (US$6.50).

Source, images: Nestlé Japan
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