NEW YORK >> Americans are increasingly raising a glass of sake. Exports of the drink to the country reached $78.6 million last year, three times the figure from 10 years ago.

Major breweries are beginning to make sake in the United States, and new types of flavors are expected to cater to the palate of Americans.

The south-central state of Arkansas is known for producing rice and is rich in spring water. In the city of Hot Springs, Origami Sake started operations a few months ago.

The brewery plans to produce junmai sake and aims to start with annual sales of 500,000 liters, valued at $10 million.

Origami Sake Vice President Ben Bell, 41, learned about sake after becoming fascinated by the taste about 15 years ago while working at a local liquor store. He puts sake on a par with top-quality wine. Bell studied Japanese in Hanamaki, Iwate prefecture, a sister city of Hot Springs, and sake brewing at Nanbu Bijin Co., a sake brewery in Ninohe in Iwate.

He established Origami Sake with Matt Bell (no relation), who serves as company president.

Origami Sake will soon launch A Thousand Cranes, a junmai sake characterized by a fruity and refreshing taste. A 750-milliliter bottle goes for about $30.

Ben Bell said they want to turn Arkansas into a top sake-producing site globally.

Efforts are growing to start large-scale sake breweries in the United States. Having completed construction of a new brewery in New York, Asahi Shuzo Co., known for its popular Dassai brand, will start selling locally made sake as early as this summer.

According to the Sake Brewers Association of North America, there are more than 20 sake breweries in the United States.

Beer and wine have the largest share of revenue in the U.S. alcoholic beverage market, with sake’s market share at under 1%.