NEWS
WORLD’S FIRST SPACE BREWED SAKE SOLD FOR USD790,000 AT PRIVATE AUCTION
By Staff Reporter
5-5-2026
Source: Dassai and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
The world’s first sake fermented in outer space has fetched a groundbreaking ¥110 million (USD700,000) in a closed private auction held in Tokyo last week, marking the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of sake.
Developed by Japanese sake maker Dassai and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), the space-brewed sake is officially named Dassai MOON.
The invitation-only private bidding auction took place from 28 to 30 April, bidders were high-end collectors and industry stakeholders. The 100-milliliter titanium-encased bottle was awarded to a private Japanese collector who requested confidentiality.
All financial terms of the winning bid, including tax-inclusive pricing, were finalised at the ¥110 million mark, far exceeding initial industry pre-auction estimates.
The ground-breaking sake is the result of the Dassai MOON Project, an initiative to experiment lunar-gravity fermentation and advance long-term goals of establishing a lunar sake brewery by 2050.
In November 2025, specialised sake fermentation mash was brewed aboard the International Space Station’s Japanese Kibo module under simulated lunar gravity conditions.
The 260-gram fermented mash was returned to Earth in February 2026, and refined into 116 milliliters of finished sake at Dassai’s headquarters brewery in Yamaguchi Prefecture in March 2026.
Of the total batch, 100 milliliters was bottled for the auction, while the remaining 16 milliliters has been retained for ongoing scientific research.
Dassai’s sensory team describes the space-brewed sake as featuring pronounced, bright acidity, a well-balanced mouthfeel and robust, layered flavour profiles that cannot be replicated under standard Earth gravity brewing conditions.
In an official statement following the auction conclusion, Dassai and MHI confirmed that 100 percent of the auction proceeds will be donated to support Japan’s national space research and development programs.
The project represents a landmark crossover of traditional Japanese craft brewing and cutting-edge aerospace technology, blending centuries of sake-making heritage with zero-gravity fermentation innovation.
Industry analysts note the historic auction result underscores surging global demand for ultra-premium, culturally significant Japanese alcoholic beverages, and solidifies space-derived craft beverages as a new category in luxury collectibles.
For Dassai, the successful auction marks a key milestone in its lunar brewing ambitions, with ongoing research set to further explore how microgravity environments shape fermentation and flavour development in traditional Japanese sake.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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