Okegai (bulk sake purchasing between breweries)

Okegai (桶買い) refers to the trade of sake between sake producers in bulk, without filling it into containers for retail sale, mainly in the form of genshu (undiluted sake). This type of transaction is also called "oke torihiki" (bulk-tank trading) and is known mainly as a tax-suspended transaction (mino zei torihiki, 未納税取引). In an okegai transaction, the producer sells sake held in a large tank, and another company then purchases it. This method is convenient when a sake business handles large volumes, and it serves as a way to make distribution and procurement costs more efficient. Through okegai, a business can flexibly adjust the quantity it buys to match its own demand.