What do vintage Porsches and artisanal, small-batch sake have in common? More than you would think, insists Norihiro Tacamizuma, founder of secretive Tokyo sake bar Twelv, which is set to make its Hong Kong debut in a one-night-only pop-up at members’ club Carlyle & Co on October 22.“The technique to drive fast and make good sake is the same,” he explains. “It’s about connecting the details and focusing on technique. Whether it’s racing fast or pursuing a delicious, premium sake, the achievement comes through a total use of mindset.”Norihiro Tacamizuma on the Fuji Speedway in the foothills of Mount Fuji. Photo: courtesy TwelvTacamizuma’s mindset is certainly a breed apart. For a decade beginning in 2005, the Fukuoka native worked in fashion, even launching a clothing label and showcasing his designs in Paris. It was during this period, while observing Japan from abroad, that he felt a growing desire to reconnect with his heritage.“When I saw Japan from overseas, and thought about what was wonderful about the country, I was surprised by how much the quality of sake in Japan had improved,” he recalls. “The sake I grew up with was not good – that was the period when champagne, wine, shochu and all the other liquors entered Japan, and this affected the sake industry.”The almost monastic space of Twelv was designed by Komal Kehar and Abilio Marcelo Hagihara. Photo: courtesy TwelvThe sake scene he returned to had progressed by light years, and at the leading edge were craft breweries dabbling in production methods influenced by the world of wine, such as small-batch, biodynamic and organic processes.