Ghost in the sake.

Sake aficionados will tell you there’s nothing like a cup of the stuff after a hard day’s work, so shouldn’t the same apply to a hard day’s battle? That’s the concept behind a trio of new sake varieties that their makers say are “for drinking a toast after the fight is done,” and were created in the image of three characters from seminal cyberpunk anime/manga franchise Ghost in the Shell.

The specific Section 9 salutes are being given to protagonist Motoko Kusanagi, her long-time professional partner Battou, and the Tachikoma robots they occasionally pilot into battle. Each bottle’s label has an illustration of its respective inspiration drawn by Ilya Kuvshinov, character designer for the Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 arm of the franchise.

But while the labels all come from the same artist, the sake themselves are produced by three different breweries, and have here different tastes. The Kusanagi version is a light and dry 15.5-percent alcohol brew from Fukushima Prefecture’s Ariga Jozo, with a noticeable polished rice aroma and flavor.

The Batou sake, from Tama Asahi Shuzo in Toyama Prefecture, is the heavyweight of the bunch at 18-percent alcohol content with a crisp, full-bodied dryness.

Finally, the playful Tachikoma version, crafted in Yamaguchi Prefecture by Hatsumomiji, is a 16-percent-alcohol sake with the scent of fresh apple and refreshing flavor that lets the natural sweetness of the rice dance across your taste buds.

All three of the Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045 sake varieties are available now through online sake merchant Kurand, identically priced at 3,850 yen (US$37) for a 720-mililiter (24.3-ounce) bottle, and include a decorative box and separate sticker version of your bottle’s label. Orders can be placed here, and if you’re a fan who’s wondering if cyborgs really would enjoy drinking sake, we should remind you that Kusanagi, Battou, and Tachikoma-forefather Fuchikoma all had a cherry blossom party in the second-ever chapter of the Ghost in the Shell manga.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Kurand (1, 2, 3, 4)
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