Carrying coals to Newcastle is one thing, but exporting sake to Japan from a Scottish island brewery is quite another.

But Arran Brewery's managing director, Gerald Michaluk, has successfully completed the course and examination to become Scotland's first "Certified Sake Professional".

He is now planning to make sake at the Brodick-based plant before the end of the year.

He is also a little miffed some Norwegians have beaten him to it.

His plans for the oriental diversification follow hard on the heels of disappointment at having to put on hold plans to expand the island brewery and build a bottling plant in Falkirk, after the Scottish Government refused a £1 million grant.

"We don't want to make people redundant, so we have to find something else to do.

"We have to be creative and this would be a different opportunity for us," Mr Michaluk told The Herald.

He is just waiting to hear from HM Revenue & Customs on whether they will class it as a beer, a wine or something else.

Sake is Japan's traditional alcoholic beverage, with a history dating to about 300AD.

It is brewed from rice and while often referred to as a rice wine, it is more closely related to beer, but is still different.

He hopes HMRC sees it that way. He said: "We have almost used up our quota for duty as far as beer is concerned, but obviously haven't made any wine or anything else."

He said that just as the type of grapes define different wines, different kinds of rice are used to make the different qualities and types of sake.

He also added that it was normally 20% alcohol, so served in a choko, or Japanese small drinking cup. The normal bottle measure, 180ml, is larger than a standard glass of wine.

He said: "Sake is the generic term for all types of the alcoholic drink, but there are different classifications within that.

"The custom is you always will fill up somebody else's cup, never your own."

He said it can be served hot, warm, or cold depending on the individual drinker's preference and the quality. The better sake is generally brewed to be consumed cold.

Mr Michaluk completed a course in Japan this year and has now received his certificate from the Sake Education Council, the first English language-based organisation created to promote better understanding of sake outside of Japan.

During his course, the Arran brewer tasted more than 100 sakes of all qualities and learned how to brew it, as well as visiting some of Japan's largest and smallest sake breweries.

Mr Michaluk said: "The course was excellent but I was surprised to find brewers from Norway actively making sake and successfully selling it to Japan.

"Sake is the national drink of Japan, and as they now make some very acceptable whisky which they sell here, I felt it's time for us in Scotland to make some sake and sell it in Japan."

He added: "I must admit I was a little taken back to find the Norwegians were already doing it, but there is room for more sake Breweries and Arran will be happy to fill this gap in the Japanese market."