Tokyo’s progressive French restaurants are developing a taste for sake
Japan Times, 9th December 2016
The first time I drank sake at a non-Japanese restaurant was nearly seven years ago at Coi, a Michelin-starred establishment in San Francisco that serves modern Californian cuisine. The combination made perfect sense: the sake played off the Japanese-inspired ingredients in sensory and conceptual harmony.
Sake brewery to open shop in Paris with Robuchon
Japan Times, 4th December 2016
Asahi Shuzo Co., maker of popular Japanese sake brand Dassai, will open a shop in Paris as early as next spring in collaboration with renowned French chef Joel Robuchon.
Sake 101: 17 Bottles to Try Right Now
Forbes, 30th November 2016
Even those who know their way around every wine region (or can pronounce the name of every Scottish distillery) are often baffled when it comes to sake. As with wine and whisky, sake requires an education.
London’s Hottest New Drink Hails From The East
Refinery29, 11th November 2016
Saké is the world’s oldest known alcoholic beverage, boasting over six millennia of culture and tradition. Given its long history and reputation as “the drink of the gods”, it’s no wonder that so many of us find it an intimidating tipple.
An Insider’s Guide to Drinking Sake in Tokyo
Vogue, 7th November 2016
Japan has a centuries-long history of brewing and drinking sake, but in recent years the country’s national beverage has been expanding its horizons. “In order to reach a wider audience, sake-makers are now creating a wider range of sake,” explains Kay Hattori, head of communications for Uber Japan.
Sake: Wine’s Japanese fling
Decanter, 7th November 2016
What do we call it? Acceptance? Absorption? Adoption? Whatever word you prefer, the process is well under way: sake now seems to belong on wine lists and in wine magazines. Wine lovers revealing ignorance of or disaffection for this newly fashionable drink court opprobrium.
Akita sake trade is booming as brewers focus on overseas market
The Asahi Shimbun, 4th November 2016
Fewer Japanese may be drinking sake, but exports of the alcoholic beverage are growing, partially due to the rising popularity of Japanese cuisine overseas. A brewer in Akita Prefecture is working on international market development, such as launching products exclusively for overseas and creating an English website.
Japanese ambassador visits Fens to conduct traditional ceremony at Britain’s first sake brewery
Cambridge News, 1st November 2016
A traditional Japanese ceremony was held at the construction site of the UK’s first sake brewery in East Cambridgeshire. 60 people attended the event, including the Japanese ambassador Koji Tsuruoka and MP for South East Cambridgeshire Lucy Frazer.
Award-Winning Hiro® Sake From Japan Presents Hiro Gold
Hiro Sake, 13th October 2016
Electronic music icon and Sake Samurai Richie Hawtin has introduced his boutique sake collection ENTER.Sake to the UK, aspiring to make the Japanese rice wine approachable for millennial drinkers.
Electronic Musician Brings Boutique Sake Line To Uk Millennials
The Drinks Business, 10th October 2016
Electronic music icon and Sake Samurai Richie Hawtin has introduced his boutique sake collection ENTER.Sake to the UK, aspiring to make the Japanese rice wine approachable for millennial drinkers.
Rating, ranking — and ruining? — Japanese sake
Japan Times, 7th October 2016
On Aug. 31, the Wine Advocate, a publication started by the influential U.S.-based wine critic Robert Parker, released its first “official” ratings guide to sake. The report caused an immediate stir.
A Big Change Just Hit the World of Sake. Here’s What You Need to Know
Bloomberg, 26th September 2016
Japanese sake joins rarified treats like Champagne and Parmigiano Reggiano as a protected designation. From now on, in the U.S., “Japanese sake” will be protected under the Geographic Indicators laws.
After wine, is sake the new drinkable investment?
Sake is entering the mainstream. The Japanese rice wine, once rarely seen outside Japan, is on the way to becoming an international delicacy. World-renowned wine expert Robert Parker has added 78 varieties to his list of top wines for the first time ever. But does it have investment potential?
Joanna Lumley’s Japan
Best cellar: precision chills and thrills from Nendo’s sake store
For the sake enthusiast, refinement, the more or less of it, is everything. Designer Oki Sato, for instance, founder of Nendo, likes sake that’s not too refined.
Review: ‘Kampai! For the Love of Sake’ Celebrates Japan’s Best-Known Libation
The title “Kampai! For the Love of Sake” — “kampai” is a Japanese toast — captures the essence of this crisp if feather-light documentary. The film, directed by Mirai Konishi, is the latest in a mini-genre (including “The Birth of Sake,” released in March,
First Japanese sake brewery in the UK coming to Fordham
A Japanese family who have been producing rice wine for hundreds of years are setting up the UK’s first sake brewery.The Dojima company is investing £9 million after buying Fordham Abbey Estate, where it will also build an education and visitor centre.
Sake Competition sets the standard for new enthusiasts
On July 29, Iwao Niizawa, the fifth-generation president of Niizawa Jozoten in Miyagi Prefecture, was one of six brewers to claim prizes at the 2016 Sake Competition awards ceremony that took place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo.
Trend setting:sake
In 1884, London had its first taste of Japanese cuisine in the upstairs of Bertram & Roberts’s smoking pavilion as part of the International Health Exhibition.
In search of ‘natsuzake,’ Japan’s summer sake
Summer is my least favorite season in Japan. Stepping outside, the heat and humidity hits with startling force: the hot air weighs heavy on my limbs, enveloping me in a stifling and unwelcome embrace.
takashi murakami creates limited edition sake with akita-based brewers NEXT5
takashi murakami has embarked on a collaboration with akita-based brewers NEXT5 to develop a sake that goes back to the origins of producing the traditional japanese rice wine.
‘Kampai!’ raises a glass to sake education
For decades, sake (or nihonshu for the majority of Japanese) didn’t really do it for the citizens of this archipelago. Cheap, ubiquitous and made from rice, it seemed too familiar — tacky even.
Nuclear disaster a ‘springboard’ for Fukushima sake brewers
FUKUSHIMA–After a change in preference among the nation’s imbibers, Fukushima Prefecture rapidly gained ground as the top sake-producing area in Japan.
And then the nuclear disaster struck in March 2011.
Where to find the world’s best sake
(CNN)“No moon, no blossom. Just me drinking sake, totally alone.”
A Spotlight On The Oldest Sake Brewery In Japan
For many, sake is the perfect accompaniment to a Japanese meal or an excellent way to celebrate, but for one family, it is more like a traditional art than a drink.
Tokyo sake bars bring tastes of Japan to younger consumers
A string of sake bar outlets in Tokyo is creating a buzz by offering tastings of different brands of the fermented rice beverage from all across Japan.Located in the capital’s Shinjuku district, the newest outlet of the Kurand Sake Market, operated by Liquor Innovation Co., opened its doors on April 6.
Eight cool places to drink cold sake
Sake seems to be flavour of the month in London. No matter where you look, there’s a new Japanese restaurant/bar/drinking den appearing with a cocktail list full of drinks you’ve never heard of, made from Japan’s favourite fermented rice drink. But they’re flipping tradition by adding a very modern twist and serving up some seriously sexy cocktails. Check out these bars to find the most imaginative and tasty tipples.
Hyogo to host 10th International Wine Challenge Sake competition
Hyogo Prefecture will host the 10th International Wine Challenge Sake competition in May, following an agreement signed between Hyogo Gov Toshizo Ido and Andrew Reed, managing director of the International Wine Challenge.
Inaugural sake exhibition at LWF
Sake will be exhibited at the London Wine Fair (LWF) for the first time later this year, reflecting the growing importance of the category in the capital, according to event organisers.
Review: In ‘The Birth of Sake,’ a Brew Made With Pride and Lots of Patience
The New York Times, March 17, 2016
Chronicling a season at a small family-owned brewery, Erik Shirai’s “The Birth of Sake” is an engrossing introduction to the traditional cultivation of the rice-based alcohol that is part of Japan’s cultural heritage. But the film’s true focus is an endangered way of life.
Cotte: a brand of skincare by way of sake and fermentation
Spoon & Tamago, February 25, 2016
In Japan it’s been known for many years that sake brewers, despite their manual labor, have skin that’s soft and moist. That’s because the amino acids in the fermentation and brewery process act as natural moisturizers that deliver deep hydration to the skin.
‘Amazake’: The wintertime sake that isn’t what it seems
The Japan Times , February 19, 2016
For more than 1,000 years, a sweet, thick beverage known as amazake has been produced in Japan. Amanotamuznake, an early version of amazake, is mentioned in the “Nihon Shoki” (“Chronicles of Japan”),
The Sake Revelation, Food Programme
23rd February 2016, BBC Radio 4
If your experience of sake has been limited to simply ‘a hot cup of alcohol after a meal’ like Sheila Dillon it’s time to listen without prejudice. With thousands of breweries each producing dozens of varieties there is more range than most of us understand.
Mie sake brewers vie to be tasted at G-7 banquet
The Japan Times , February 2nd, 2016
NAGOYA – As the Group of Seven summit that Japan will host in May in Mie Prefecture nears, local sake breweries are hoping the government will select their brand to be used for toasts during the banquet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will host at the two-day event..
Japan’s latest KitKat flavor is smooth sake
THE VERGE, January 29th, 2016
Another day, another Japanese KitKat flavor to envy.
Fukushima Sake Takes the World by Storm!
BusinessWire, January 21st, 2016
FUKUSHIMA, Japan–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Under its slogan, “Future from Fukushima,”
Rock and roll has beer, but techno has sake samurai
theguardian, October 2nd, 2015
Jay McInerney’s 1992 novel Brightness Falls features hedonistic New Yorkers approaching middle age.
Brewing sake in Japan is becoming a woman’s game — again
PRI’sTheWorld, September 11th, 2015
For a long time, sake brewing in Japan was an industry made up of owners who didn’t brew the sake themselves, and migrant master brewers, called Toji, who would live at distilleries in the winter brewing season and then go home.
For heaven’s sake
The Caterer, August 14th, 2015
Roger Jones, owner of the Harrow at Little Bedwyn, Wiltshire, breaks down the process behind the creation of premium Japanese sakes
Japan’s changing food tastes are hard to swallow for rice and sake enthusiasts
theguardian, June 5th, 2015
Japanese cuisine made it on to Unesco’s list of “intangible cultural heritage” in 2013, but it hardly needed that honour to be appreciated across the globe. Through the food of Japan, the west discovered a new frontier of taste: light and healthy, respect for texture and flavour, refined presentation. Little wonder, then, that today some of the most accomplished and multi-talented chefs are Japanese.
Aged Sake Part 2: A range of style and techniques
Harpers, May 27th, 2015
In the second part of our sake blog, Anna Greehhouse looks at styles and techniques of aged sake and looks beyond Japan to find them.
Aged sake Part 1: Is it all it is cracked up to be?
Harpers, May 26th, 2015
In the first of a two-part blog, Anna Greenhous looks at aged sake, a niche product that divides opinion.
Sake & techno music
The Japan News, May 25th, 2015
Sake has expanded into the global market via restaurants serving Japanese food. But foreign aficionados of Japan’s traditional alcoholic drink are not limited to fans of Japanese cuisine. In Spain, for example, sake has caught on among attendees of an annual event for edgy techno dance music.
Fukushima again tops in grand prizes at sake competition
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, May 21st, 2015
Fukushima Prefecture won the most grand prizes at the Annual Japan Sake Awards for the third straight year, lifting the spirits of brewers still struggling with the effects of the nuclear accident there
Japanese sake makers in big China promo
ShanghaiDairy, May 15th, 2014
MICHELLE Lin is getting ready for a weekend house party to celebrate a girlfriend’s engagement. Usually, the 28-year-old entrepreneur would get a selection of wines, but this time she has decided to serve Japanese sake, since sushi, sashimi and chicken teriyaki will be served along with cheese, ham and salad..
Sake: the ‘rice wine’ renaissance.
PORT, May 11th, 2015
Sake connoisseur Rie Yoshitake speaks to Betty Wood about the renaissance that has occurred around the cherished rice drink over the past ten years.
Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe participate in a toast with sake during state dinner.
The Guardian, April 29th, 2015
The president welcomed his guest of honor, Shinzo Abe, with a toast over sake that included a poem about spring, friendship and harmony, declaring himself to be the first president to recite a haiku at a state dinner.
Anna Greenhous: Do different rice varieties effect different styles and flavours of sake?
Harpers, April 16th, 2015
Different grape varieties create distinctively different styles and flavours of wine, but can the same be said for different rice varieties with sake? Anna Greenhous investigates.
How to get started on sake
The Telegraph, April 10th, 2015
Get to grips with the finer points of premium Japanese rice wine and seek out these top tipples recommended by a sake sommelier.
How to… drink and buy sake in London with Elyse Li of Japan Gourmet
London Evening Standard, April 7th, 2015
Not sure of the dos and don’ts of Japan’s fermented rice drink? Victoria Stewart gets the top tips from Japan Gourmet’s expert Elyse Li on how to drink and buy sake.
Saké: from fire water to bar’s coolest tipple
The Times, April 5th, 2015
The surge of high-end Japanese restaurants and pan-Asian cuisine has thrust ginjo and daiginjo saké — premium versions of the Japanese rice wine once served hot and cheap in Chinese restaurants — into the limelight.
Sake from the Frozen North – Day 2, Yonetsuru and The Snow Monsters
Anthony Rose, March 29th, 2015
Checking out of our hotel on the dot of at 8.20am (well, this is Japan), we took the one-hour drive to Yonetsuru Brewery in Takahata on a chartered bus. We had to arrive by 9.30 am because that’s when the rice-steaming starts and rice-steaming waits for no-one.
Sake from The Frozen North – Day 1, Heading North to Yonezawa
Anthony Rose, March 28th, 2015
This is going to be a sake fan’s dream tour with visits to four sake breweries across the Tohoku region, one each day, bridging the contrast between the snowy mountains of Yamagata and Miyagi’s Matsushima Bay.
Sake for beginners
Foodepedia, Friday March 13, 2015
Sake has been rising steadily in popularity in the U.K. With more and more ramen, sushi and Japanese cuisine restaurants opening up, people are keen to try it, but often don’t know where to start.
Japanese sake producers reflect on four years of recovery to mark earthquake anniversary
Harpers, 10th March 2015
Four years since the earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc across Japan, Anna Greenhous looks at how sake producers, some of whom were wiped out at the time, have rebuilt their industry and how sake has become a symbol for regeneration and hope in the country.
Japanese cuisine: how washoku is taking over Britain
theguardian, March 5th, 2014
Washoku, or Japanese cooking, has been honoured by Unesco and is all the rage with British chefs, who are sourcing authentic ingredients and adopting complex techniques.
Prince William reveals he dreamed of being an astronaut
Guardian, 27th February 2015
Duke of Cambridge talks to Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi about childhood dream jobs at launch of Innovation is Great campaign in Tokyo
Can the Scots beat the Japanese at saké?
Telegraph, 23rd February 2015
As Britain’s first saké brewer gets the green light, Fiona Sims finds out how to sound like an expert when you’re faced with a bottle of rice wine
UK’s first Sake brewery and visitor centre to open in Cambridgeshire
Harpers, 6th February 2015
Dojima, a Japanese brewery based in Osaka, which was founded over 600 years ago has established a company in the UK and plans to start producing premium sake on U.K soil this year.
The woes of Fukushima’s sake brewers
BBC, 14th January 2015
Ever since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan, sake-maker Hiroyuki Karahashi has received phone calls from worried Japanese consumers.
Sake set to finally make its mark in the UK in 2015
Anna Greenhous, Harpers, 7th January 2015
After a breakthrough year in 2014 which saw sake appear in some of the hottest wine lists in the country, including the Chiltern Firehouse, sake experts believe the UK is set to follow the US and Japan and become far more widely distributed across both the on and off-trades.
Japan 400 Plymouth and Sea Food Festival
Mixcloud, 5th January 2015
Episode 8 of Radio show J400 about the Japan 400 Plymouth and Sea Food Festival, featuring an interview with Sake Samurai UK Representative Rie Yoshitake and Michelin star UMU restaurant chef Yoshinori Ishii.