Sake On Air

Join Imada-san and Sebastien (and a late arriving guest) as they talk all things Izakaya. These Japanese drinking and eating establishments are the foundation of sake culture and the trio has a lot to say about where to go, what to order, and how to have a good time. They talk about which foods go well with sake and many of the unwritten rules of dining out in Japan.

When JSS’s map of recommended izakaya is released later this year we will link it here:

We’d love to hear your experiences at izakaya! Let...

Frank and Eric C Rath, Professor at University of Kansas and author of multiple books on Japanese food culture, dive deep into his new book, Kanpai: The History of Sake. We talk about samurai drinking games, the origins of sake as a beverage, sake’s effects on the Japanese economy, and many other topics.

We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.

Unti...

Sebastien and Marie catch up with friend of the show, David Joll! Their conversation with the founder of Zenkuro Sake covers both the tribulations of making sake abroad while using Japanese rice, koji, and yeast along with the changes in the New Zealand sake market. We also talked about future plans for the brewery and much more. It’s been 5 years since we first had David on the show, Episode 35, and there is a lot to talk about!

We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send...

Liam McNulty, the man behind nomunication.jp and a standing member of the Tokyo Whisky and Spirits Competition (TWSC) managing committee, joins Frank to talk all things shochu. Our discussion covers how shochu is defined, how shochu is judged at TWSC, and what the future looks like for this remarkable spirit. We also touch on koji-based whiskies, shochu-based gins, and the blending of ideas from both the spirits and shochu world.

We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Face...

We are thrilled to be able to interview the one and only Philip Harper at the brewery where he works as toji, or master brewer. Philip is first non-Japanese person to become a toji at a brewery in Japan, and his impact on the world of sake cannot be overstated.

Our hosts, Cindy Bissig, Chris Pellegrini, and Frank Walter, made the trek to the tippy top of Kyoto Prefecture to visit the brewery and Philip, and what a visit it was! Philip opened up about his beginnings in the sake world, how he came to join Kinoshita...

Miho Ota is joined on this episode of Sake on Air by Spanish sake educator and promoter Elvira Aldaz to talk about their three-day sake trip to Fukushima in July. They visited 9 breweries in under 72 hours including travel to and from Tokyo! The two friends share their impressions from talking with local brewers, tasting many different styles of sake, and experiencing how the region’s climate, culture, and brewing traditions make Fukushima sake what it is.

Fukushima Trip Itinerary
DAY 1
Niida Honke – Participated in their weekly tour

DAY 2
Aizu Shuzo – Made a prior res...

Sebastien and Chris had a lovely time talking to Norihiro Fujii of Fujji Shuzo, makers of Ryusei. Their conversation was wide ranging: covering the history of the brewery, the change to all kimoto brewing, and the ongoing move to all wild fermentation.

We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.

Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible...

Marie, Miho, and Frank have a sit down and try three hiyaoroshi sake with various pairings in this laid back episode of Sake on Air. We hope that as you give it a listen you pour yourself a glass and taste along with us.

The sakes we had are all available at the info center:
Joku Junmai from Hachinohe Shurui in Aomori
Mongai Fushutsu Junmai Ginjio from Nishibori Shuzo in Tochigi
Takaji Yamahai Junmai from Juhachi Zakari in Okayama

A reminder that you can find out about sake events going on throughout...

Frank Walter and Chris Hughes spent the first day of the biggest event of the sake calendar, JAPAN SAKE & SHOCHU FAIR 2025, talking to old and new friends about the world of sake and shochu. It was held in Osaka for the first time on June 14th and 15th of 2025.

Oliver Chan, founder of Sake Moto HK and recent author; Keith Norum, of Masumi Sake; Chris’s former student, who is involved in the Taiwan Sake & Shochu Research Association; and Mika Eoka, who has been pioneering sake imports and education in India.

A reminder that you ca...

The biggest event of the sake calendar, JAPAN SAKE & SHOCHU FAIR 2025 was held in Osaka for the first time on June 14th and 15th of this year! Chris Hughes became our roving reporter on the fair floor and interviewed a variety of characters sipping a variety of beverages.

He spoke to Tomomi Duquette, founder of Niigata Sake Lovers; representatives from the Zenkoku Chori Shokuhin Kogyo Kyodo Kumiai; Takeshi Itani, founder of Sake Experience; and Shun Kosaka, bartender at Quarter Room. Join us next week for part 2!

We’d love to hear what you thought about th...

Join Miho Ota, Chris Hughes, and Chris Pellegrini as they catch up about what they have been doing recently.

Tune in to hear how Big Chris has started a new sake tasting experience, all about Little Chris’s business development, and Miho’s exciting sake travel plans.

You can sign up for the JSS sake and shochu tasting here: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/6022742!

We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack!

We’l...

We are back! Sake on Air’s long summer hiatus is over and you can expect lots of new episodes in the coming weeks and months. Starting off is an interview of Xavier Thuizat, sommelier extraordinaire, about his new sake project with Daishichi Sake Brewery, how to pair sake, the emotional experience of drinking sake and many other interesting topics.

Frank Walter interviewed Xavier after an event explaining the creation of The Gate, so there is a bit of background noise. But the conversation is definitely worth it.

Check out the Kouta event at JSS on...

This week on Sake On Air, host Cindy Bissig is joined by special guest host Julian Houseman to welcome back a familiar voice: Tom Wilson, co-founder and head brewer of Kanpai, the UK’s first sake brewery! They recorded their conversation at Julian’s sake bar, Sake House, in Umeda, Osaka.

Listeners may remember Tom from “Episode #73: Future of Sake with Les Larmes du Levant & Kanpai London”, where he joined us for a lively conversation alongside Grégoire Boeuf. Now, several years later, Tom returns to share exciting updates from the Kanpai camp.

In this episode...

We’re back with another episode of Sake On Air, and this week we’re trying something a little different! A casual catch-up session with our regular hosts, so you can get to know them better!

In this episode, Cindy Bissig, Frank Walter, and Miho Ota talk about their recent experiences at the Tokyo Sake Challenge, their visit to Japan’s very first sake ice cream shop, and what exciting events and episodes are on the horizon. Plus, Arline Lyons shares about her role as a judge for the IWC and her big move to Japan!

Whet...

We’re back with another episode of Sake On Air, and this week we’re headed to Spain – where sake is making some exciting moves!

In this episode, our hosts Cindy Bissig and Sebastien Lemoine sit down with Mayuko Sasayama, sake educator, author, and the driving force behind Iberkanpai, the first sake and Japanese gastronomy fair on the Iberian Peninsula.

We talk about how Mayuko’s journey into the world of sake began, her passion for connecting Japanese food and beverage culture with new audiences in Spain, and what inspired her to create Iberkanpai. With the inau...

We’re back with a brand-new episode of Sake On Air and this week, we’re bringing you behind the scenes of a special event – a sake-themed photo exhibition hosted by the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center.

For one week, starting February 12th, the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center showcased the work of three international photographers: Anat Parnass, Anna Petek, and Cindy Bissig. Their stunning images highlighted the beauty of sake breweries and the craftsmanship behind Japan’s iconic drink.

We took this opportunity to speak with Anat and Anna, along with some of the v...

Our hosts, Sebastien Lemoine and Frank Walter made their way west to the little spot in Hachioji called Sake Dozo Kitchen. (Which is why the audio sounds a bit funky at times, apologies!) Started in February 2024 by fellow sake lovers David Cheek and Miwa Wag, the second floor restaurant is a delightful place to find your own sake language.

The conversation winds through Dave’s and Miwa’s personal sake histories and what prompted them to open up their own kind of sake restaurant in Hachioji. We also talked about sake tasting competitions, judging sake, and how to f...

We’re back with a brand-new episode of Sake On Air, and this week, we’re doing things a little differently! Not an interview, not a deep dive into a trendy topic—just pure sake myth-busting.

In this episode, three of our regular hosts, Arline Lyons, Rebekah Wilson-Lye, and Sebastien Lemoin come together to tackle some of the most persistent misunderstandings surrounding sake. From the belief that sake is a distilled spirit to the common (but incorrect!) practice of drowning tiny sake cups like a shot, we’re setting the record straight.

Surprisingly enough, many of these...

Hold your breath, Osaka—there’s a new sake bar in town!

After much anticipation, Julian Houseman has taken the leap and opened Sake House in Osaka!

For those unfamiliar with Julian, he is a long-time friend of the Sake On Air team – a voice behind the scenes, a sake industry journalist, and a brilliant musician among his many other talents. Now, he’s bringing his passion for sake to life with his very own venue, creating a space where sake lovers can gather, explore, and enjoy the incredible world of Japan’s iconic beverage in a small...

For the final episode of our Sake 101 mini-series we dive into the 2,000 years of history of sake. Cindy Bissig and Chris Hughes explore the evolution of sake, not just as a beverage, but as a key part of Japanese culture. This is the perfect way to wrap up the season with a look at how sake became what it is today.

Sake is deeply woven into Japan’s history, and sake history is really Japanese history. It is hard to pack centuries of events into a 30 minute episode, so this episode is a distilled version of the his...

As our Sake 101 miniseries continues, we’re diving into one of the most debated topics in the world of sake: hot vs. cold sake! 

Beyond just personal preference, the temperature at which sake is served can completely transform its flavor, aroma, and overall experience. But with so much conflicting information out there, it’s easy to get confused and then there is the old myth that only bad sake is served hot—is there any truth to that?

Join our hosts for this episode Cindy Bissig and Chris Hughes as they break it all down, explori...

We are continuing our Sake 101 series with a dive into sake pairing. Cindy Bissig sits down with Chris Hughes to discuss why sake is one of the best beverages to pair with food. They examine just how versatile and exciting sake can be, and spoiler alert – Sake does not just pair wonderfully with Japanese food, it also has the power to transform dishes from all around the world.

Chris explains how sake isn’t just to be paired with sushi (!) it can enhance flavors across a wide range of global dishes and can really be a game-changer at t...

There is a lot of great sake out there, but how do you know what is “good” and what is not? There is no easy answer to that, because the answer is almost always, “it is personal”.

However, you may have heard the term “Premium Sake”, which suggests that it is the good stuff. Which of course it is, but so is much of the sake that doesn’t have that on the label. So what does “Premium Sake” actually mean? And if it doesn’t mean the best sake to drink, what is it used for?

In this episod...

This is the second episode our “Sake 101” mini-series! In our first episode we covered the most basic question “What is Sake?” and we hoped that this would help people new to the beverage get a basic understanding of what sake is, what it is not and also give a few hints on how sake tastes and of course how it is made.

So, in this episode, we continue our journey into the world of sake, diving deeper into the fascinating process of how it’s made. Once again, the wonderful Arline Lyons joins Cindy Bissig to talk about the...

This week we kick off a brand-new mini-series in which we go back to the basics and focus on questions we all had at the start of our sake journey. Questions that may sound simple but may not be as easy to answer as they seem. Welcome to our “Sake 101’s”!

Our host will take turns answering questions to topics including “What is sake?”, “Understanding premium sake” or “Hot sake vs cold sake”. So if you are new to the world of Japanese sake, these episodes are for you! We also think that if you already have some knowledge of...

There is a new sake book on the market: SAKE: The Art and Craft of Japan’s National Drink written by no other Yoshiko UENO-Müller, founder of Ueno Gourmet, Sake Samurai, and acclaimed Sake Educator (among her many other titles).

Join hosts Cindy Bissig and Frank Walter as they chat with Yoshiko-san and delve into what inspired her to write her second book, her passion for sake, and what brought her into the fascinating world of sake in the first place. 

Not a “coffee table book” but a “sake table book”, it is not just for sak...

A few weeks ago we celebrated the exciting news of “Traditional Sake Brewing with Koji” being listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (if you missed it you can find out more here) and in this episode, we decided to dive deeper into the world of koji as we had the immense pleasure of interviewing Higuchi Koichi, owner of Higuchi Matsunosuke Shoten Co., Ltd. and one of the experts in koji starter manufacturing in Japan!

So join us as our regular hosts Rebekah Wilson-Lye, John Gauntner, and Arline Lyons sit down at our base, the Japan Sake and...

Earlier this week the sake industry received some amazing news: “traditional sake brewing” was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. However, the term is rather vague on its own. So for this episode of Sake on Air, our hosts Arline Lyons and Frank Walter set out to clarify what “traditional sake brewing” means, the potential benefits of the listing, and what it might mean for the future.

Arline and Cindy went to a celebration event in Itami and got to talk with sake brewers, shochu distillers, mirin producers, and a wide range of other people and organiza...

Japanese sake is made from water, rice, and koji. There are many specific rice varieties cultivated for brewing sake, all of which are lumped together as sakamai (酒米). Some are more prominent than others and one in particular has gotten itself a bit of a cult following. You may refer to it as the OG or grandfather of sakamai and of course, we are referring to Omachi (雄町)!

One of the oldest rice varieties dating back to 1859, Omachi was first grown in the town of Omachi in Okayama Prefecture. It is praised for adding rich and complex flavors to sake but...

In our latest Podcast Cindy Bissig and Frank Walter had the pleasure to welcome no other than Singapore’s first Sake Samurai – Adrian Goh, the director and chief educator at Inter Rice Asia, IWC judge and organizer of one of Singapore’s biggest Sake Matsuris!

For anyone unfamiliar with what a Sake Samurai is or how to become one, it is a prestigious title bestowed by the Japan Sake Brewing Young People’s Council, an organization of young brewers from all over Japan, every year since its conception in 2005. Only 3-5 people are given this title each year, wh...

Sebastien Lemoine, Chris Hughes, and Miho Ota sit down with Sam Boulton, author, mixologist and drinks consultant to talk about his new book, “The Art of Mixing Koji Cocktails.” Sam is based in Birmingham, and is one of handful of experts on Japanese booze in the UK. He was a participant in this year’s Advanced Shochu Academy in Kagoshima, and then spent almost a month visiting distilleries and breweries around the country after the program ended. He has also started a podcast “The Izakaya Happy Hour” and has written a book on vermouth. You can find out more about him...

Many people will be familiar with the word GI (Geographical Indication), especially if they are familiar with wine. Famous GIs are known around the world like Champagne or Prosciutto. But what about sake? Does sake need a GI system? What does a GI actually mean? Where do we find these regions in Japan and does GI make any sense in the sake world?

Our regular hosts, Chris Hughes and John Gauntner unravel this somewhat controversial topic with Ken Takehisa, the CEO of Sake Edge and Monten. Ken is an expert on the topic and has closely worked...

As sake continues to gain popularity around the world, shochu is next in line. In August 2024, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) held its inaugural week-long Advanced Shochu Academy in Kagoshima. The event was designed to educate professionals in the global beverage industry about shochu.

The 12 participants came from diverse backgrounds—educators, importers, and consultants from seven different countries. Miho Ota seized the opportunity to interview them, gaining insights into shochu’s presence in their respective countries and exploring what draws them to the spirit. She organized three impromptu sessions focused on the European, Asian, and...

Happy Sake Day! Here is a list of events that are happening this month in Japan and around the world.

Outside Japan (Sake Day Events)

On October 1st in Melbourne, Australia. Tamura Sake Bar is celebrating World Sake Day 2024 from 6 to 9PM.
https://www.tamurasakebar.com/

On October 4th from 4 to 10 pm, World Sake Day NYC 2024 will be happening at The W Loft Rooftop (240 Kent Ave, Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY)
https://www.upstairsnyc.org/world-sake-day-nyc-2024

On October 5th from noon to 4 pm, the Queen City Sake Festival is happening in...

Nada is a well-known name in the world of sake. Almost a brand, it is associated with the area whose sake dominated the Edo (Tokyo) market in the later part of the Edo period (1603-1868), and it is still the largest sake production area in Japan. 

Despite this track record, “Nada sake” can sometimes be reduced to an association with “Industrial sake” and carry a slightly negative image. We think it is important to set a few facts straight!

In this episode Andrew Russell, sake brewer at the iconic brewery Kenbishi, John Gauntner and Sebastien Lemoine d...

This week on our show, we’re heading to Kagoshima, the heart of Japan’s shochu production! Join us as one of our regular hosts, Chris Pellegrini, sits down with the incredible Maya Aley – a certified Shochu Meister and industry expert with over 6 years of experience. Maya is also the manager of Bar Roku, a must-visit destination for shochu lovers.

In this episode, Maya shares how a visit to her bar is not just about enjoying a drink but also about experiencing “a dinner and a show.” She introduces us to the rich world of shochu, its makers, an...

Summer in Japan is hot! Too hot some might say. To help beat the heat, nihonshu producers sell a variety of sake called natsuzake or “summer sake.” But what is natsuzake really? It has no legal definition and no established taste or serving guidelines.

Miho Ohta and John Gauntner have a conversation about the recent trends in natsuzake until  Frank Walter joins the fray to talk about natsuzake flavors and the trend towards sour flavors and low alcohol in sake.

While the jury is still out on whether natsuzake will become a consistent kind of sake...

This week we are excited to welcome not just one, but two amazing guests to our table Yu Nakamura and Nattinee Sirirattanapol, aka Pam, who are changing the face of sake in Thailand with an array of amazing projects and collaborations!

So join us as one of our regular hosts Chris Hughes sat down with them at our base the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center in the heart of Tokyo for a chat with them. Find out what brought them together and how they got into sake. Their company TASTE HUNTERS and especially their brand Sake...

We’re Back! This time we are talking to Maksim Polkin of Imadeya, one of the most well known sake distributors in Japan. He is usually at their Ginza Six location, but helps introduce people to the wonders of sake all around Tokyo. Sebastien Lemoine and Chris Hughes talk with Maksim about how he found himself in Japan and in Sake. Their conversation also winds through the forest of sake retail, the needs of different markets and how Imadeya sees itself in the industry.

You can follow Makism on his instagram and he helps manage the Imadeya Gi...

This week Chris Hughes continues our discussion of contract brewing sake with a conversation with Nathaniel Hoy. We started this series with Episode-117: A Sake of Your Own: Contract Brewing Sake: in which Sebastien Lemoine, Chris and Justin Potts shared their opinions and expertise on the trend of sake companies brewing custom sakes for clients. We recommend you listen to that episode before listening to Chris’s interview with Nathaniel.

Nathaniel describes himself as just a sake enthusiast, but he is much more than that. Aside from collecting professional sake certifications, Nate worked at Kintora Shuzo in Na...

In this week’s episode of Sake On Air Sebastien Lemoin and Cindy Bissig are talking about the World’s largest sake event, which just so happens to be a project that one of our other regular hosts; Rebekah Wilson Lye is deeply involved in. We are of course talking about Craft Sake Week in Tokyo!

Japan’s most prominent sake event, which was founded by no other than Hidetoshi Nakata in 2016 is not it its 8th installment and is promising to top everything we have seen before. With even more “extra time”, this year CSW will be over th...

During the recording of Episode 115 “Should sake be promoted like wine?”, Sarah Stewart mentioned a research project between some members of the British Sake Association, and Coravin, the US firm selling a device aimed at preserving the flavors of wine in the bottle after indulging oneself with one glass or two. Intrigued, Sebastien Lemoine reached out to Grace Hunt, Chief Operating Officer at Toku Sake, a premium Junmai Daiginjo produced in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, for the UK market, as well Greg Lambrecht, inventor of Coravin and Chairman of the company, based in Boston.

You will hear about Coravin’s hist...

This week Justin Potts, Chris Hughes, and Sebastien Lemoine discuss the growing trend of sake companies making special sakes for clients and/or partners. The conversations covers the benefits to both established breweries and entrepreneurs trying out their ideas before having to create their own brewery. Their conversation also goes into the differences between partnership sakes, private brand sake, and OEM sake.

Check out Episode 41 on Link 8888 for more insight into the world of sake collaboration projects. If you have some of your own sake (or shochu) education experiences that you’d like to share with us he...

This week we’re digging a classic from out of the cellar – our episode exploring the absolute magic of sake that’s been crafted to stand the test of time.

While still a relatively niche category within sake, more and more producers are leaning into clearly communicating the amount of time – and in what form – their sake spends maturing prior to release, and the wider beverage-loving community is finally taking notice.

From a production standpoint, there are tricks of the trade that allow for all variety of flavor and style creation. The one quality that really can...

It feels like only the very recent past when opportunities for more formal sake education and certifications were few and far between, and when they were available, they were often infrequent and hosted in only a handful of territories, which made learning from knowledgeable industry insiders and professionals relatively prohibitive for most of the world’s growing number of sake-curious. Thankfully offerings from formalized organizations and institutions expanded, and a handful of ambitious sake pioneers helped increase both the frequency and quality of these much-needed places and spaces.

This week’s guest, however, not only positioned himself on t...

We’re getting back to basics this week in the world of shochu with one of our most popular shows from our back catalog: Shochu 101. Released back in December of 2018, Mr. Shochu himself, Christopher Pellegrini, walks us through the fundamentals that should help anyone new to the category better understand and enjoy Japan’s incredible indigenous spirit.

As to why we selected this particular episode to dig out of the archives; we’ve got a feeling that shochu’s time is close-at-hand. This past year has felt like a significant shift for shochu, with California following up New York...

This week’s episode of Sake On Air we dive further into the topic started with our post “Is wine the best way to promote sake?” last year. Arline Lyons, who wrote the post and has extensively researched the topic, takes a seat behind the mic and joins one of our regular hosts, Sebastien Lemoine to talk more about her findings. However, we thought it may not be a fair discussion without having someone join us to balance out the possible sake-heavy opinions and add some wine background to the round, which is why we invited Sarah Stewart to join u...

Many of our listeners are likely aware of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture back on New Years Day, 2024. While the most severe damage was unquestionably across the peninsula, the massive quake reverberated across neighboring prefectures as well, resulting in extensive, far-reaching damage that’s going to take a great deal of time to truly assess, not to mention recover from.

Immediately following the earthquake news outlets around the world reported this tragic turn of natural events, however the true nature of the damage and devastation to the region didn’t really come...

We are always thrilled to be joined by special guests here at Sake On Air, but it is rather rare that we have a chance to interview a 15th-generation kuramoto. This week we’re thrilled to share our recent interview with Junichi Masuda, newly appointed CEO of Tokubee Masuda Shoten, makers of Tsukinokatsura, a brand of which we are all collectively huge fans.

This week our regular hosts Rebekah Wilson-Lye and Sebastien Lemoine speak with Masuda-san about his sake brewery: Tokubee Masuda Shoten – a historical innovator in the industry – their brand “Tsukinokatsura”, and what changes we can expect to...

This week we’re digging up a classic from the archives that we released back in April 2020. The theme of the week is kanzake, which felt appropriate as a majority of our audience is now officially rolling into the winter months.

If you’re interested in more warm/hot sake insight, we highly encourage you to check out the special session we hosted from Sake Future Summit 2020 featuring the mission of the exceptional kanzake service team traveling France for their annual Kanzake Tour. We also did a little impromptu sake warming/sipping session for the camera back when...

With more travelers these days favoring unique experiences over a few days of leisure for their limited vacation days, Japan’s sake breweries have gradually been improving and expanding their offerings to both domestic and international visitors choosing to tick “sake journey” off their bucket list. An industry that’s largely sheltered itself from outside visitors for a significant chunk of recent history, many breweries are now for the first time figuring out how they can open themselves up to the possibility of tourism becoming a means of connecting with and growing their fanbase while developing a stable new form of...

Fabio Ota joins regular host Sebastien Lemoine to talk all things sake in Brazil. Fabio, a lawyer turned sake guy, is the CEO and creator of Megasake, São Paulo’s premier sake shop and distributor. He was named a Sake Samurai earlier this year as part of the 18h cohort, and holds 13 different sake certifications.

Sebastien and Fabio get into the ins and outs of the unique nature of sake in Brazil, especially as it relates to the community of Brazilians with Japanese heritage. Although sake is made domestically in Brazil, premium nihonshu (sake made in Jap...

For many years a Sake Tasting Competition has been held for selected sake sommeliers from across the country in Tokyo to challenge their tasting skills and knowledge. This year the Brewing Society of Japan has released a special tasting kit, that can be bought by anyone (depending on the availability of it, of course) to help sake professionals and people who strive to learn more about how to evaluate sake, to test and train their tasting abilities.

In this very special episode of Sake on Air, we decided to give it a try and with the help...

In this week’s episode of Sake On Air we dive further into the world of Shochu and Cocktails as we are excited to have had the chance to talk to Christian Suzuki-Orellana, aka ‘Suzu’, the founder of Kagano Pop-Up, General Manager & Bartender at “Wildhawk” as well as a participant of the immensely popular Netflix show, “Drink Masters”. 

Among his many achievements, he has been nominated for best US Cocktail Bar and Bartender of the Year in 2022 and is currently traveling all over the world to serve up some finger-licking delicious Cocktails that are often inspired by his childhood a...

This week, we ask that you indulge us just a bit as we…indulge.

During Justin’s super-secret (and all-too-brief) return to Japan we had the opportunity to conduct a single recording. That date just happened to coincide with Kusu Day (September 4th) and the magnificent tasting set available at the JSS Information Center. Since Awamori doesn’t get nearly enough love, both on this show and in general, your hosts Marie Nagata, Chris Hughes, and Justin Potts decided to go ahead and dive straight into an impromptu tasting flight of ten (!) Kusu ranging in age, style, and ma...

In our last podcast episode of Sake On Air, we had two of our regular hosts Chris Hughes and John Gauntner talk with Katsunari Sawada, the man behind the pocket-sized sake can, KURA One. If you have not had a chance to listen to it yet, we recommend you do so (here) before listening to the 2nd part, as we are looking further into the question of whether this could be indeed the future of packaging for the sake industry and beyond.

We will also be diving deeper into how to market sake overseas and KURA One’s...

In this week’s episode of Sake On Air, two of our regular hosts Chris Huges and John Gauntner came together to chat with Katsunari Sawada san, the mastermind behind KURA One!

For anyone unfamiliar with KURA ONE, the company’s mission in their own words “is a sake service that changes the “unreachable” into “deliverable”.” Moving away from the bigger sized 720 ml bottle and creating a smaller 180 ml aluminum sake can, an alternative to the traditional “One Cup”. Sawada-san has set out to change the sake industry and is working with representative brands of sake breweries that have won awards...

Arline Lyons never expected to be the go-to translator for sake related writings coming out of Japan, but remix Mr. Crichton, “sake finds a way.” Our American host in America, Justin Potts sat down with her to talk sake, translation, and some exciting news regarding the growth of Sake on Air. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, Arline holds the (WSET) Level 3 Award in Sake and is a SSI International Kikizake-shi, and a SEC Advanced Sake Professional. In their free flowing conversation, they also get into the sake industry in Europe and some of the differences in wine and sake education.

How do we effectively promote Japan’s indigenous beverages? That is the million-dollar question and something the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association are working on relentlessly every day. On the Shochu front, one way they are doing this is by collaborating with bartenders and mixologists from all around the world who have fallen in love with Shochu and Awamori and showcasing the fruits of these collaborations at special events.

Recently, we were lucky to join one of these events, where we got front-row insights into the state of the industry as well as being treated to so...

Martin Sturma’s path to kurabito life at Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten has been a winding one. He first started working with sake at the JETRO Prague office, but he had already fallen in love with drink thanks to a fateful encounter on a study abroad trip to the U.S., of all places.

By 2020 he was ready to make the move to Japan and start working at a brewery, but the pandemic got in the way, and he found himself in Paris working for one of the more interesting sake makers outside of Japan, WAKAZE. There he wa...

Somehow, they’ve done it.

Despite the long list of complex and seemingly impenetrable barriers, the folks at Tippsy have managed to make a large, diverse, and inspiring range of sake available to anyone just about anywhere in the U.S. Since founding Tippsy in 2018, Genki Ito has managed to expand Tippsy’s offerings to over 400 unique products and make them available to nearly every state across the country.

What exactly is, “Tippsy”, you ask? In addition to being a reliable place to shop for sake online in the United States, Tippsy also offers a curated...

Aruten, arukoru tenka, or the ingredient largely responsible for the need to create a category of junmai sake in the first place, is sake that has been made with an addition of brewer’s alcohol. Four years and 4 months ago John, little Chris, big Chris, and Justin discussed the differences between junmai and aruten sake in episode 11 of Sake on Air. How time flies. But today Justin is diving back into aruten with sake specialist, and fellow podcaster, Jim Rion. Jim is the author of Discovering Yamaguchi Sake: A Taster’s Guide to Breweries, Culture, and Terrain, published earlier this...

“Moyashi” is a bit tricky: it’s simply translated as “bean sprout” in Japanese, but in the world of sake it refers to the sprouting koji starter knows as tane-koji, in Japanese. In this week’s episode we get insight as to how this important terminology also ties into an even more specialized term “soyashi” and how the fermentation process is connected to the sprouting of various bacteria and molds.

Moyashi was the Sake Concierge, Takashi “Umio” Eguchi’s second word choice in our On Your Own Terms series. He always offers an insightful perspective as part of his explanations ab...

The amount of “genshu” sake circulating the market these days is ever-increasing. So first and foremost, what in the world is genshu?

This week your regular host Sebastien Lemoine brings the genshu topic to the table on his own terms together with Justin Potts. Beyond defining the term (hint: it’s actually pretty simple!) they also get into how the term can be both misinterpreted and reinterpreted at the discretion of the maker’s processes, making sake titled with the word genshu not only more prevalent, but also raises the question: does it even matter?

Are you...

This week we’re lucky to be joined once again by Niigata Sake Lovers founder, sake educator, guide, and evangelist extraordinaire, Tomomi Duquette.

Tomomi’s sake vocabulary that she’s brought to the bar this week on her own terms is particularly interesting in that it flies directly in the face of what her sake homefield is best known for. In Niigata – generally considered the karakuchi motherland – genuinely amakuchi sake is relatively few and far between (although that’s gradually changing, as well).

In general, karakuchi is more prevalent vocabulary – both in sake conversation and on the label –...

Not only can a single batch of sake be broken down into unique seasonal releases, it can even be divided up into a range of unique products immediately following the pressing of a single batch.

One possible way to do so would be to set aside (and then promptly bottle and distribute) what’s known as “arabashiri”, often translated as “first run”. This week we’re thrilled to be joined once again by previous guest of Masumi fame, Keith Norum. What exactly is “arabashiri”, and is it something you should be on the lookout for? Keith is the perfect gues...

Is it “kura”, or is it “gura?”

It’s both! On week’s episode of On Your Own Terms, regular host Justin Potts sits down with Chris Hughes to examine a rather pervasive term in and around the world of sake: kura, the Japanese word that encompasses storehouse, brewery, factory, and nowadays, a whole lot more. Sake breweries are often called sakagura in Japanese, with their modern facilities are often built around an older kura that can be 100s of years old. (Note: the “gura” spelling represents the inflection that occurs when attached to a preceding word, hence, “saka-gur...

Is it “unfiltered”?

This week’s episode of On Your Own Terms explores one component of sake’s rather confusing classification of filtered vs. unfiltered when we discuss muroka sake with one exceptional gentleman who happens to be both the owner and head brewer of North American Sake Brewery and co-founder of the Sake Brewers Association of North America, Andrew Centofante.

Often simply communicated as, “unfiltered”, muroka is just one of many processes and choices available to a brewery when deciding the nature of the sake that they want to send out into the world. As concepts...

We’re back again with more, On Your Own Terms, the series that allows our guests to select a single bit of sake or shochu-specific terminology to share with us, explaining it concisely, while also reflecting on their unique experiences and perspectives tied to their topic-of-choice.

This week, the Sake Concierge, Takashi “Umio” Eguchi, brings both terminology and perspective that only he could deliver. This time around we explore the “ricey” component of the sensory experience of sake.

When we started doing this, somewhat narrow-mindedly there was an assumption that most guests would likely select a Japanese...

In case you missed it, we’ve just kicked off our new mini-series: On Your Own Terms, where we examine sake or shochu-specific terminology concisely through the eyes of the advocates and professionals that have unique experiences and perspectives on their topic-of-choice. Last episode we looked at the ever-popular topic of nama together with Jorge Navarette at Matsui Shuzo in Kyoto. (Nama has been a recent hot topic here on the show, actually). For those that missed out, it’s right below this episode in your Sake On Air podcast feed!

This week we’re joined by the ev...

This week we kick off a brand-new mini-series looking at sake (or shochu)-specific terminology in a new way.

Up until now we’ve occasionally hosted in-depth discussions on hyper-specific topics unique to sake or shochu making, service, or experiences (see: Koji Basics, Kanzake, etc.), where we would round up our hosts or a team of specialists in attempt to unravel exciting and essential topics related to our favorite drink categories.

Based on what our listeners have told us (and what the numbers say), more-often-than-not these have been our most popular and most requested show fo...

Books dedicated entirely to specific sake-producing regions have for all intents and purposes been non-existent in the English language; at least, until now.

Enter, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake: A Taster’s Guide to Breweries, Culture, and Terrain, the recently released publication from Stone Bridge Press written by long-time Yamaguchi-resident, sake specialist, and fellow podcaster, Jim Rion.

Sake long being in need of a tome dedicated to exploring the regional characteristics of a unique sake brewing region, Jim’s hard work and dedication to the industry and to his relationships nurtured over many years with the breweries of Y...

If you’ve been listening to this show even intermittently over the past several years, you’re probably already aware that starting a sake brewery from scratch in Japan is, and has been for decades, a gargantuan task. However, in recent years, the number of young entrepreneurs navigating regulatory loopholes in order craft sake themselves in a manner that fulfills a dream and mission of cultivating a more inspiring and sustainable culture (and business model) for the next generation are beginning to pop up here-and-there across the country.

The latest challenger pushing the envelope is Yuji “Yoshi” Adachi...

We’re somewhat at a loss for words.

When we first began Sake On Air back in October of 2018 it was by no means a given that we would wind up putting 100 episodes about sake and shochu out into the world.

Ambition, intertwined with ongoing effort to make a sake-centric podcast a reality was actually years in the making prior to this thing ever getting started. There was a feeling that something of this nature ought to exist, but with no real sake-specific precedent for reference, we had no idea as to whether or not an...

Last week we brought you the first session from Sake Future Summit 2022 in a nice, easy-to-digest podcast package. (Videos from across the two weekends are, of course, still available for your viewing pleasure). This week we’re continuing that trend and bringing you another very special session that specifically examined the current and possible future state of the U.S. sake market, titled appropriately, Bringing Sake to the American Mainstream.

This particular roundtable was hosted by Weston Konishi, president of the Sake Brewers Association of North America. Joining him was Nina Murphy, owner of Sunflower Sake in Po...

Back in January across two weekends, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association hosted the second iteration of the Sake Future Summit. (The first was held back in 2020). For those that missed it, now is as good of a time as ever to catch up!

There were a handful of sessions conducted in Japanese (with English subtitles) that will require you to set aside a bit of time to read along. These include programs on, “Cutting Edge Sake & Food Pairing” with Marie Chiba (EUREKA!) and Hitoshi Utsunomiya (JSS),  “Challenging Tradition & Innovation”” with Choubei Yamamoto (Kaze no Mori) and Norimas...

In last week’s episode I interviewed Elliot Faber of Sake Central in Hong Kong If you missed that conversation, I encourage you to hit pause, go back, and check that out.

We had a very lengthy conversation, some of which wound up on the cutting room floor.

There was one topic, however, that after cutting it from the initial interview, after going back, I started thinking that maybe we ought to put out into the world.

Being a newly minted father himself, our conversation naturally shifted to the topic of parenting while wo...

Summarizing the work of Elliot Faber is a challenge. Often simply introduced as “Sake Samurai”, a title bestowed in 2016, which added him to the ranks of the select and deserving few to carry the title, ever since he catapulted onto the global sake scene as beverage director spearheading an inspiring sake program at Hong Kong’s now renowned Yardbird in 2011, Elliot has gone on to position and re-position himself in every crack and crevice of the sake industry where he found room for meaningful contribution. In doing so, the Canada born-and-raised workhorse has strategically and masterfully woven an ecosystem for th...

Sparkling sake is on the rise. A style that was often served and enjoyed as an exciting and curious anomaly only a few years ago has become a staple in the lineup of sake breweries all across Japan. While more and more breweries enter new products into the increasingly crowded market every year, a handful of breweries have committed a massive amount of energy and resources to doubling down on their commitment to quality and their position as leaders in this ever-more popular style.

The logistical and often cost-prohibitive challenges to delivering a quality, consistent – not to me...

It is not so uncommon these days to come across non-Japanese sake brewers, indeed we have featured many on this show, but in the case of this week’s guest, sake is quite literally in his family’s DNA. Having been raised in the US, George Briant Inoue Parsons is now preparing to take over from his uncle to run Inoue Shuzo, makers of Hakoneyama brand sake, a 100 year old sake brewery in Kanagawa. It’s a role George never expected would fall to him, and he needed some persuasion to take up the family mantle, but he gave up a c...

For Paul Willenberg – aka “Namazake Paul”– namazake is a unique exploration into the seasonality of sake.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Paul has been lovingly cultivating what’s become arguably the most prolific source for unpasteurized sake (namazake) in the U.S. Due to namazake being primarily available only as seasonal, limited releases, along with the logistical challenges (and costs) associated with bringing this special sub-category of sake to a market that’s still very much in its early stages, availability of this exciting slice of the sake category has long been limited. However, thanks to Paul’s passion and co...

“My life in Kyoto is my life in sake.”

Those few words from this week’s guest, Sake Concierge Takashi “Umio” Eguchi, rather appropriately and succinctly sum up why it is we were so excited to have him join us to explore such an iconic sake region.

Author of the excellent tasting notes for The Japanese Sake Bible, host of his insightful YouTube tasting series and the accompanying Sake Concierge website, as well as hosting a wide range of tasting events and tours throughout Kyoto and the surrounding regions exploring the finer details of sake, Umio’s lov...

As much as this week’s episode is informative, it’s also a bit of a celebration.

Simone Maynard (aka: Sake Mistress) has been a dedicated, hard-working evangelist spreading the good word of sake in her native home of Australia for years. That was until the spring of 2020 sent any and all opportunity to congregate around a bottle of nihonshu to a screeching halt. Unable to sit idly by while Japan’s breweries’ sales slumped and sake-inspired communities seemed to gradually dissolve, she launched Taste with the Toji, a weekly online community bringing sake lovers and sake-curious into the...

We’re continuing on our Sake Travel series this week with a visit to the city of Niigata. While the entire prefecture of Niigata is littered with fantastic sake destinations, we’ve decided to narrow the scope just a bit and save our explorations into the greater region for another day. That being said, we’ve dabbled in Nagaoka and Sado Island as part of our previous episodes, which are you can tune into now if you’re seeking a deeper exploration into the larger region right this minute.

In order to help us do this great city jus...

For this third installment of our Sake Travel Series, we’re heading north – way north!

More commonly associated with some of the best skiing and snowboarding on the planet, extravagant snow festivals, expansive landscapes unlike anywhere else in Japan, and a wholly unique and celebrated culture rooted in the livelihood of the Ainu people spanning centuries, it’s fair to say that Hokkaido was really only added to the sake map relatively recently.

But what an incredible trajectory Hokkaido sake is on. From the rapid development of breweries across the territory by Kamikawa Taisetsu, to the un...

In August we gave you a taste of our new Sake Travel series, which we’ll be returning to again here shortly.

This week, however, we’ve got the first in what will be another new ongoing series: Unfiltered.

New things are happening all the time in and around the sake and shochu industries that are noteworthy and impactful. As individuals living-with-sake, we’re also constantly having a range of new experiences that are being impacted by the constantly evolving worlds of sake and shochu.

We wanted a good excuse to bring our hosts...

In case you missed it, last week we kicked off a new mini-series in Osaka. This week, together with hosts John Gauntner, Rebekah Wilson-Lye, and Chris Hughes, we’re off to Nagano!

Despite being Japan’s only entirely landlocked prefecture, sharing a border with 8 different prefectures gives the region with 2nd most breweries in Japan some wild diversity. Being a rather short and easy trip from Tokyo gives it some great accessibility. Together, the newly-minted Geographical Indication of Nagano makes for a no-brainer when it comes to sake travel.

Despite this being a travel-centric episode, this...

We’re kicking off a new semi-ongoing series this week!

Over the course of the past couple of years, in a world where international visitors have been largely restricted from entering Japan, we’ve been repeatedly getting a specific type of show topic request: sake travel.

For those that have been used to visiting Japan on relatively frequent occasion but have had their regular visits rudely interrupted, many are keen to make the most of their long-awaited return once they are finally permitted to make the trip.

For many others that have yet to t...

Back on Air Livestream

We can’t believe it has been nearly 4 months since our last “official” show release. Even though it was part of the plan, we’re now getting a bit stir-crazy. It’s time to get back on air.

For those that missed it, we got most of the gang together at the JSS Information Center for a livestream back on July 29th. For those of you that missed it, we’ve cleaned up the audio and made it buttery smooth for your podcast-listening pleasure this week. If, however, you’re keen to take in the...

Back in October of 2018 when we released the very first episode of Sake On Air, none of us had recorded or produced a podcast before, and there was no precedent for what a podcast about sake and shochu could or should be. At the time, the number resources with quality information about what sake is were both growing and improving – which was fantastic! So instead of retreading that same material, we set out with the goal of “expanding the dialogue around sake and shochu.”

Having a basic understanding of these incredible beverages and the common themes and termin...

We’ve welcomed more than an a few non-Japanese kurabito to the show in the past that have made sake brewing here in Japan their chosen path for a day or a lifetime. As the number of breweries integrating more diverse members into their workforce increases, it’s becoming difficult to keep track of the range of characters immersing themselves sake-driven careers here in the land of the rising sun.

This week’s guest, however, has been on our radar for some time. Having spent roughly a decade brewing at a diverse range of highly respected breweries across...

It’s been way too long since we’ve spent an entire episode dialing straight into the world of awamori. That’s why we’re thrilled that your host Christopher Pellegrini’s recent trip to Okinawa brought him together with Maurice Dudley, a man who has been slightly behind the scenes but at the absolute center of the concentrated efforts to bring the glory of awamori to spirits and cocktail connoisseurs throughout his hometown of Okinawa, as well as to regions across the globe.

Maurice is a literal veteran in Okinawa, now having called the islands of the Ryukyu...

We finally have a great excuse to discuss beer this week.

Despite a long history of (ongoing) misrepresentation as “rice wine” and the sake industry’s mild obsession with the wine world, we’re finally reaching a point where common sense (and basic science) have started to take hold. The result is a wider realization and acceptance that, when it comes to the act of brewing, sake exists in a place closer to the world of beer than that of wine. (That being said, don’t forget that sake is its own beast entirely!)

Those making bee...

In Part 1 of this special two-part series visiting the producers reviving the lost art of kamejikomi, we spoke with Ken Kojima of Kojima Sohonten, makers of Toko sake in Yamagata Prefecture.

This week we travel to the town of Gose in Nara Prefecture to chat with Chobei Yamamoto who represents 13 generations of sake-making at Yucho Shuzo, best known for their sake brand, Kaze no Mori. Yamamoto-san has not only reinstated the use of traditional kame earthenware pots into brewing, but he’s restored and reconstructed an entirely new brewery committed to traditional brewing practices utilizing kamejikomi.

...

Back in Episode 51 we explored the hard work being invested in restoring kioke, the large-scale traditional wooden tanks that transformed sake brewing in the Edo Period. Thanks to the hard work of many, supply can’t keep up with demand and as more and more breweries are wanting to reintegrate kioke back into their brewing practices and more woodworking craftsman are stepping up to learn the craft.

But brewing using kame has been completely abandoned for (probably) at least the past couple hundred years; that is until now.

As with the historical vessels commonly used fo...

Last week we focused our energy on examining the Niigata region as a whole. This week we’re once again joined by our same guests, Ms. Kaoru Ito and Mr. Hiroshi Nagamoto from the Overseas Business Department of Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Company, makers of Kubota, to delve into the ubiquitous brand of sake almost synonymous with the region of Niigata and celebrated not only in its home territory of Nagaoka, but also throughout Japan and by sake lovers and connoisseurs across the globe.

Instead of focusing heavily on the flavor and stylistic profile of Kubota (hint: we...

There’s really no such thing as an “inferior” region for sake production in Japan. A particular region may boast more breweries, higher production volume, or more acreage dedicated to a popular rice variety, but you really aren’t going to struggle to find great sake being made just about anywhere on the island. (In fact, there’s a reasonable argument to support the idea that some of the nation’s most exciting sake is born in some of the less-talked-about regions).

Despite that, there are a handful of regions that have been elevated to a particular pedestal, co...

Ginjo is king.

Or at least, that’s kind of been a mantra for several generations of more than a few sake lovers, makers, and advocates. Looking at the numbers in recent years, some have dubbed this the current era to be the era of junmai ginjo. (Straight-up ginjo has been faltering a bit, however).

Sake classified in the ginjo stratum today aren’t the same as that of yesteryear, and if the depictions of the style further permeating the market today are any indication, ginjo-classified sake will likely be a bit different tomorrow, as well...

Another year, another chance to set ourselves up for failure with a series of wild predictions!

This year the team has independently put together their own lists of predictions and expectations for what the worlds of sake and shochu may have in store for 2022. Intentionally, we haven’t shared or discussed our views with one another in advance in some attempt to produce any “best” answer, so what you hear is a reflection of what each of us is seeing and feeling based upon our own views and experiences.

Will there be any reoccurring themes? Should...

This past autumn, something really special came into being that all of our sake and shochu-loving listeners ought to appreciate.

A project that has been in-the-making for quite some time behind the scenes at the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, the Digital Kokushu Museum offers a rather particular kind of glimpse into the ongoing evolution of tradition and culture of Japan’s iconic and long-celebrated koji-fermented beverages – sake, mirin, and shochu – collectively referred to (occasionally) as, kokushu.

Should you find yourself with the opportunity to visit some of the many sake breweries and shochu distil...