Import Japanese Whisky & Sake to USA | TTB & Reefer

American demand for Japanese whisky, premium sake and shochu has turned small breweries and distilleries into exporters, and US importers, distributors and restaurant groups into regular buyers. Alcohol is regulated before it is shipped: the importer needs federal and state licences, every label needs approval, and the product then moves through the three-tier system. Sake adds a cold-chain question, because unpasteurized nama sake has to stay refrigerated from the brewery to the distributor.

AGF ships Japanese whisky and sake in dry and refrigerated containers, full and shared. On the Japan side we work through WCA partner agents, who collect from breweries and distilleries and arrange export clearance — AGF has no office in Japan. In the US, our licensed customs brokers file the entry, with the federal excise tax and the TTB data CBP requires, and we deliver to your licensed warehouse or distributor.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Shipping Japanese Whisky & Sake from Japan to USA

Nama sake travels in a reefer container set to the brewery's specification from collection to delivery; pasteurized premium sake benefits from a reefer or at least a thermal liner in summer. Whisky and shochu are robust and travel in dry containers, with a thermal liner in summer and tight sealing against theft. A 20ft container takes about ten standard pallets on the floor, and shared containers suit first orders. Yokohama or Kobe to Los Angeles/Long Beach takes about 11–20 days.

Nothing ships until the paperwork is ready at both ends. CBP will not release bottled alcohol without the importer's TTB permit and an approved label (COLA), and the FDA expects Prior Notice before arrival. Breweries close over New Year, Golden Week and Obon, so book around them.

Reefer for nama sake end to end; reefer or thermal liner for premium sake in summer
Dry container with thermal liner for whisky and shochu
About ten standard pallets in a 20ft; shared containers for first orders
COLAs approved and Prior Notice filed before the cargo arrives

What Drives the Cost

Duty: whisky and sake pay 12.5% in total under the Section 301 layer on Japanese goods, base rate included — verified at quoting
Federal excise tax, collected at entry: spirits rates for whisky and shochu, beer rates for most sake — but sake with added brewer's alcohol is taxed as distilled spirits
Reefer versus dry container, and summer thermal protection
Full container versus a shared one for smaller importers
Label work: COLAs, US-compliant back labels and any re-labelling
State taxes, licences and distributor margins under the three-tier system

HS Codes and Duty Notes

Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.

HS Code	Products	Notes
2208.30	Whisky	Duty-free base rate, so the Section 301 layer brings Japanese whisky to 12.5% in total; federal excise tax at the distilled-spirits rate on top. Verify at quoting.
2206.00	Sake (rice wine)	A small specific base duty; the Section 301 layer brings the total to 12.5% using its ad valorem equivalent. TTB taxes sake as beer, but sake with added brewer's alcohol is taxed as distilled spirits.
2208.90	Shochu, awamori and other spirits	Classification depends on the product; 12.5% in total under the Section 301 layer where the base rate is lower. Distilled-spirits excise applies.

Regulations and Compliance

TTB importer's permit and label approval (COLA)

The US importer needs a federal basic permit as an importer, and every whisky, shochu and sake label needs an approved Certificate of Label Approval before CBP will release the goods. TTB treats sake as a wine for importing and labelling and as a beer for tax. Japanese 700 ml and 720 ml spirits bottles have been authorized US sizes since the end of 2020, and sake has no US standard of fill at all.

Federal excise tax and added alcohol

Federal excise tax is paid at entry along with the duty. Most sake is taxed at beer rates, but TTB taxes imported sake to which brewer's alcohol or distilled spirits was added at any stage at the distilled-spirits rate — so a honjozo or futsu-shu with added alcohol can cost far more in tax than a junmai sake. Reduced rates on a producer's first volumes can be claimed by the importer when the foreign producer assigns them.

FDA registration and Prior Notice

Japanese breweries and distilleries must be registered with the FDA as food facilities, and Prior Notice is filed before every shipment arrives.

The three-tier system and state licences

Once cleared, alcohol is sold from the importer to a licensed wholesaler and from the wholesaler to retailers and restaurants, and each state adds its own licences, label registrations and taxes. Line up a distributor and state approvals before the first container ships.

What can be called 'Japanese whisky'

The Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association standard, binding on its members since April 2024, reserves 'Japanese whisky' for whisky made from malted grain and Japanese water, fermented, distilled and aged at least three years in wood in Japan, and bottled in Japan at 40% ABV or more. Some 'world whiskies' blended or bottled in Japan from imported spirit do not qualify. Check the product against the standard before you build a US label and marketing around it.

Door-to-Door Import Service

Before the first order, confirm your TTB permit, COLAs and state approvals, and the producer's FDA registration. Our WCA partner agent in Japan collects from the brewery or distillery — refrigerated for nama sake — handles the NACCS export declaration and loads; we file the ISF at least 24 hours before loading, and Prior Notice is filed before arrival.

In Los Angeles our licensed customs brokers file the entry, paying duty and federal excise tax, and the container is delivered — cold where needed — to your licensed warehouse or distributor anywhere in the country.

Ocean Freight Customs Drayage Ground Transport Warehousing

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I import Japanese whisky into the USA?

Get a TTB importer's basic permit and the state licences where you will sell, obtain an approved COLA for each label, and confirm the distillery's FDA registration. Then ship: Prior Notice is filed before arrival, and at entry you pay duty — 12.5% in total for Japanese whisky under the Section 301 layer — and federal excise tax. After clearance the whisky moves through the three-tier system.

Does sake need a refrigerated container?

Nama sake does — it is unpasteurized and has to stay refrigerated from the brewery to the distributor. Pasteurized premium sake travels best in a reefer or with a thermal liner in summer. Whisky and shochu travel in dry containers.

How is sake taxed when it is imported?

At entry it pays duty — 12.5% in total for Japanese goods under the Section 301 layer — and federal excise tax. TTB taxes most sake at beer rates, but sake with added brewer's alcohol or distilled spirits, such as honjozo, is taxed at the distilled-spirits rate, which changes its landed cost considerably.

What makes a whisky 'Japanese whisky'?

Under the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association standard, binding on its members since April 2024: malted grain and Japanese water, fermentation, distillation and at least three years of cask ageing in Japan, and bottling in Japan at 40% ABV or more. Products blended in Japan from imported whisky do not qualify, so check before you build a US label on the claim.

Japanese Whisky & Sake is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.