Do Not Mess With Fish 226,

and you thought fish were fun!

 well these could be, back in the days when Japanese sake was delivered in barrels, rice was expensive, so it followed that sake made from it was expensive too, so some less scrupulous sake producers water down their product, after being sold to sake shops the shop owner in turn would add more water to the precious commodity, watering down saka became so commonplace that eventually a term was coined to refer to such sake: kingyo-shu (goldfish sake), meaning that the sake was so watered down that goldfish could swim in it, but the 250-year old sake brewery Imayo Tsukasa never participated in such practice,

the sake brewery family has now decided to create a brand of sake inspired by this important part of sake-making history, but instead of goldfish, they took their name from the distant cousin of carp: koi. designed by graphic designer Aya Kodama, the Nishiki koi sake bottles are decorated in the beautiful patterns that koi are known for, and when placed inside the white box, a cut-out that’s shaped like a fish creates the final image of a koi fish,

the packaging is so attractive it would appeal to fish lovers and those not interested in the fish, just the art, or maybe the contents, and it’s just won the Good Design Award in Japan, as well as several other international design awards, but don’t discount the sake either, it’s been recognised both in Japan and abroad, most notably at the International Wine Challenge where it won a bronze, so only mess with these fish in moderation!