Sake 101: 16 Superb Bottles to Try Right Now
Forbes, 30th December 2018
Sake is finally having a moment. And while it may not be easy to find in most of America, retailers and distributors are certainly making progress. One of them is Marc Smookler, the founder of Sake Social, who fell in love with sake more than a decade ago.
22 Year-Old Female Brewer Wins The Gold Prize At The Sake Competition
Forbes, 30th December 2018
Nanami Watanabe is 22 years old, and female. This is a surprising profile for the brew master who won the Gold prize at the 2018 Sake Competition. Watanabe’s talent brings bright light to the future of the sake industry.
Hollister firm produces U.S. sake
San Benito, 28th December 2018
San Benito County has a long and proud history of excellent wineries, including Leal Vineyards and Winery, and Centani Vineyard in Hollister and the Aimee June Winery in San Juan Bautista—or if you’re in the mood for a beer and a shot, there’s Johnny’s Bar and Grill. But for those who crave a tasty pairing with their sushi, Ozeki Sake USA on Hillcrest Road has been producing high-quality sake locally since 1979.
Tippsy Sake Launches To Connect Premium Sake And Consumers Directly
Forbes, 28th December 2018
It is hard to find high-quality sake outside restaurants. To fill the void in the market, Tippsy Sake launched a new online service to sell premium sake directly to consumers on November 11, 2018.
Pair bring a taste of the unknown to traditional sake brewing
Jakarta Post, 24th December 2018
When two foreigners dipped their toe into the traditional Japanese sake brewing industry as international sales staff, not only did they discover the intricacies of Japanese rice wine, but they also came to understand the unique aspects of working in one of the country’s most traditional industries.
An American Sake Sommelier’s Dream Came True: Making A Super-Premium Daiginjo Sake
Forbes, 23rd December 2018
“Sake has always been my greatest passion, but I never imagined that I could turn it into a profession,” said Stuart Morris. He is the sake sommelier at PABU in San Francisco, the modern izakaya and sushi bar by chef Ken Tominaga and the Mina Group, which operates nearly 50 restaurants in the US and abroad.
American craft brewers are putting a new twist on sake
NBC News, 21st December 2018
Blue Hill, a farm-to-table restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village, is known for serving local produce, cheese and beer. Now the restaurant has local sake, too, from Brooklyn Kura, a brewery that opened this year and is part of a wave of craft sake producers who are finding new homes for sake outside the world of sushi and ramen.
Behold, Glorious Final Fantasy Sake
Kotaku, 17th December 2018
Sake maker Kokuryu produces excellent sake. The Fukui-based brewery is teaming up with Square Enix to make some more. Famed Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano painted the label and packaging art, which features a black dragon (“kokuryu” means “black dragon”).
KNOWING YOUR SAKE AND SHOCHU
Metropolis, 26th November 2018
The Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center (JSS Information Center) is an education center helping to promote sake and shochu. It is a short walk from Toranomon station on the first floor of an office building.
OYSTER X SAKE AT OYSTERMEN
Sugidama Sake Blog, 17th November 2018
So do you always order Chianti with Tuscan Wild Boar Ragu or Red Burgundy with Beef Bourguignon? What about Angus steak? Do you have it with Scotch whiskey or ale? Of course not! You don’t have to match a dish and a drink by country. However, there is a very common myth about sake, that you have always to drink it with Japanese food.
HyperJapan is offering mochi, sake and anime at Kensington Olympia this weekend
London Evening Standard, 16th November 2018
Until Sunday, HyperJapan, a celebration of Japanese culture is installed in Kensington Olympia. There will be fluffy bao and zingy sake, anime and karate, theatre and travel experts poised to plan your own trip to the Land of the Rising Sun — this is a guide to making the most of the weekend.
Sake: New York’s Next Craft Beverage Craze?
Chronogram, 9th November 2018
In 2005, Tuthilltown Spirits became the first whiskey distillery in New York State since Prohibition. Through founder Ralph Erenzo’s lobbying efforts, he prompted the Farm Distillery Act of 2007, which effectively opened the floodgates for craft distillers in the region. Now just over a decade later, there are over 1,000 craft producers in New York.
American Craft Beer Is Being Inspired By Japanese Sake
Forbes, 30th October 2018
The craft beer industry keeps growing in the US. There were over 6000 craft beer breweries in 2017, more than double the total from 2013, and a 16% increase from 2016, according to the Brewers Association. People often call Japanese sake “rice wine”, but it should rather be called rice beer. In order to make an alcoholic beverage, wine does not require the process of conversion from starch to sugar, which is the first step to make beer and sake.
Arizona Sake Brewer Discovers Perfect Formula For Desert-Made Drink
KJZZ, 24th October 2018
Arizona’s low humidity makes for good hair days, good preservation qualities and, as it turns out, good sake. An uprooted entrepreneur has found a perfect formula for making an award-winning, Arizona brew. It’s usually dry in Arizona, except for the rainy August day I met Atsuo Sakurai up in Holbrook, 90 miles east of Flagstaff. His business is Arizona Sake, a drink that can be found in some Japanese restaurants and wine shops in the Valley.
New York’s First Sake Brewery Considers the Art of American Rice Wine
Vogue, 24th October 2018
“We’re not trying to pretend that we’re making traditional Japanese sake,” Brandon Doughan, the co-founder of Brooklyn Kura, the first sake brewery in New York, told me on a recent Friday morning, as soft light diffused through the elegant tasting room. “We’re using American ingredients. We’re using Brooklyn water. We want to do our own thing here, and just see what arises out of what we’ve got.”
Sake embeds itself abroad with new U.K. brewery
The Japan Times, 13th October 2018
Love brought Tony Mitchell to Japan, but sake became one of the reasons he stayed — as well as the reason he ultimately left. In 2011, Mitchell, now the production manager of the recently opened Dojima Sake Brewery, situated an hour and a half from London, moved to Fukuoka Prefecture to marry his long-distance sweetheart.
Sake brewery in Kobe opens to visitors
NHK World Japan, 13th October 2018
A sake producer in the city of Kobe, western Japan, has opened its factory to visitors at the start of a new brewery season. Hakutsuru Sake Brewing allows people inside each year around this time. Many people took part in a factory tour on Saturday to see the production process.
Sake Sommeliers Aren’t Just Offering Drink Recommendations, They’re Spreading A Movement
Forbes, 10th October 2018
If you’re like me, your first taste of sake was probably a house sake (aka the only one on the menu); served warm and not particularly pleasant to drink. It was was likely futsu, a domestically produced product that’s typically served warm to mask the impurities of an inferior product, and perhaps not the best introduction to the traditional Japanese rice wine, of which there are many premium varieties to be enjoyed and appreciated. This is where sake sommeliers come in.
Sugar-free sake solves problem of boozy breath, says top maker
The Asahi Shimbun, 10th October 2018
A solution for the age-old problem of drinkers’ boozy breath has been found, according to leading sake maker Gekkeikan Sake Co.–and it has been right under their nose for years. The Kyoto-based company said Oct. 9 that it found its zero-sugar sake is less likely to cause the breath to reek of alcohol than most drinks, and it received a patent for the discovery on Sept. 21.
Osaka Brewery to make premium sake in UK
Nikkei Asian Review, 5th October 2018
A sake brewery built in eastern England by a Japanese company was officially opened for business at the beginning of October. The brewery, located close to the historic city of Cambridge and its prestigious university, completed a test brewing in spring and will produce up to 8,000 bottles annually, using rice imported from Japan and water taken from a local source.
Zuma Launches Special Namesake Sake—Here’s What You Need To Know About It
Haute Living, 3rd October 2018
Zuma Miami has long remained one of Miami’s most treasured dining destinations. Known for its innovative Japanese cuisine, perfectly grilled robata menu items and happening bar scene, it’s consistently one of the toughest reservations to snag on any given night of the week. Now, Zuma has enhanced its entire dining and drinking program with the launch of its new house sake.
Heaven’s sake: why Japan’s rice wine is rising in popularity and isn’t just for drinking with sushi
MSN News, 3rd October 2018
Sitting in a classroom surrounded by strangers, I’m struggling to remember the temperature at which sparkling sake should be served. Thanks to an earlier tasting, I know that it has all the lovely light bubbles of Champagne or Prosecco and that it is served chilled, as appropriate for a drink that is light and fruity and ever so slightly sweet.
Heaven’s sake: why Japan’s rice wine is rising in popularity and isn’t just for drinking with sushi
iNews, 1st October 2018
Sitting in a classroom surrounded by strangers, I’m struggling to remember the temperature at which sparkling sake should be served. Thanks to an earlier tasting, I know that it has all the lovely light bubbles of Champagne or Prosecco and that it is served chilled, as appropriate for a drink that is light and fruity and ever so slightly sweet.
Happy World Sake Day: 6 of the best Japanese rice wine drinks around
STYLE, 1st October 2018
It is World Sake Day and STYLE would like to take this opportunity to raise a glass to this popular Japanese alcoholic drink. The origins of sake are said to date back to the Nara period (710-794), but it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that it debuted on the world stage by reinventing itself for young, hip urbanites.
Sake brewer Yasutaka Daimon recalls his seven-year voyage during the 1960s hippie explosion
Post Magazine, 30th September 2018
The 70-year-old, sixth-generation owner of the Daimon sake brewery on continuing the family business.
World Sake Day Celebrates Famous Drink From London To San Francisco To Tokyo
Forbes, 29th September 2018
World Sake Day or “Nihonshu no Hi” is a significant day on the Japanese calendar with celebrations held annually on 1 October. This date is considered “New Year’s Day” for sake because it marks the first day of the sake making season in Japan.
The Joy of Sake: The Barbican to host a mouthwatering celebration of Japan’s national beverage
The Up Coming, 24th September 2018
Sake is a traditional Japanese wine with which a lot of us are still unacquainted. Its varieties are endless, and not only that, but the particularities of its origins are even more interesting. For those not familiar with the beverage, it’s made from the fermentation of rice with water. According to the tradition, sake is served in sakazuki (a small porcelain cup) that allows for a small sip every time.
New era dawns as sake brewery opened at Fordham Abbey
Newmarket Journal, 24th September 2018
A ceremonial barrel breaking marked the official opening of the Dojima Sake Brewery in Fordham. The brewery was originally founded 500 years ago in Osaka, in Japan, but will now be producing sake using Japanese sake rice and water drawn from the ice age strata which sits below the abbey.
UK’s first Japanese-run sake brewery is about to open in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire Live, 23rd September 2018
The UK’s first brewery designed especially to make sake, the national drink of Japan, will be opening soon to the public at Fordham Abbey. Last week, the Dojima Sake Brewery had a special ribbon cutting ceremony, where VIP guests, including Koji Tsuruoka, the Japanese ambassador to the UK, as well as the Mayor of Ely and a former ambassador to Japan were invited to sample some of the sake.
Sake to support Japan’s disaster-stricken areas unveiled at Tokyo event
Japan Times, 19th September 2018
A sake made with rice from all 47 prefectures was unveiled at an event in Tokyo on Wednesday, with proceeds earmarked to support disaster-hit areas and revitalize local economies. Kizunamai sake was sponsored by 212 shinkin financial institutions nationwide and was made in an effort to support reconstruction efforts.
Have A Break: Tokyo’s New KitKat Bar Focuses On Japanese Sake & Cocktail Pairings
Forbes, 18th September 2018
After previously adding a sake-based chocolate to its portfolio, Nestle is again delivering innovation with a new Kit Kat bar, which is focusing of pairing a new chocolate with a range of sake, plum wines, and cocktails.
Majestic Wine launches Sake campaign
Harpers, 18th September 2018
Majestic Wine is launching a campaign to encourage consumption of Japanese rice wine Sake after introducing three new products to its range. Majestic said it is launching a campaign to ‘make rice nice’ for wine drinkers who may be stuck in Merlot and Sauvignon ruts. It wants to get more people to taste rice wines with education about Sake’s rich heritage.
Wartime cave in Tochigi is a cool place to hang out in and store sake
The Asahi Shimbun, 16th September 2018
When one enters a cave dug toward the end of World War II, body sweat produced from the summer heat and humidity instantly dries. The dark cave, which serves as a natural refrigerator, makes a perfect storehouse for local brewery Shimazaki Shuzo.
Toast Of Japan: Sake can be the next big aspirational product in India and the world
The Times of India, 12th September 2018
After the success of the Sake tasting event organised by the Embassy of Japan here in New Delhi last year, the event returned this year with even greater gusto. Sake, the rice-based alcoholic drink, is emblematic of Japanese culture. And its promotion in India is congruent with efforts to boost Japan’s presence in India’s mindscape.
Akashi-Tai sake reveals new brand identity and artisan design
Transform magazine, 9th July 2018
Expanding its global appeal and securing leverage across the Japanese market, the Akashi-Tai Brewery has recently unveiled a new rebrand. To distance itself from the previous fish imagery with which the product had become associated, the brand turned to the London office of global design agency Cowan to develop a bespoke identity for its five-strong range.
At Mugaritz, sommelier Guillermo Cruz pairs sake and the avant-garde
The Japan Times, 7th July 2018
When you think of the Basque Country in northern Spain, sake is unlikely to spring to mind. According to government statistics, exports of Japanese sake to Spain amounted to 154,159 liters in 2017 — a mere drop in the bucket compared to 5.8 million liters to the U.S., sake’s largest overseas market.
Fukushima to open shop in NYC to boost sake exports
The Asahi Shimbun, 5th July 2018
Prefectural officials are hoping a new specialty shop in the Big Apple will help locally brewed sake make it in the United States. With interest in the Japanese rice wine growing in the United States amid the Japanese food boom, the officials aim to promote the high quality of Fukushima-produced sake and expand sales channels.
A New York sommelier reveals why he quit music when he discovered sake
Post magazine, 5th July 2018
For Seju Yang, the Osaka-born sommelier at Brushstroke, in New York, composing a wine list is like writing music.
5 facts about Japanese sake that you didn’t know
Style, 14th June 2018
Thanks to the popularity of Japanese cuisine, Japan’s national drink, sake, has been catching up fast over the last five years. According to Trade Statistics of Japan 2018 by Japan’s Ministry of Finance, the export of sake set a new record in 2017 to 23,500 kilolitres worldwide.
What’s the big deal with sake?
Irish Times, 7th April 2018
Sake opens you up to a different world of tastes and flavours. It is a drink quite like no other, subtle, sometimes fragrant and fruity, at other times rich and almost funky. It has been made in Japan for millennia. Interest outside of Japan has exploded over the last decade, especially in the top restaurants of London, New York and elsewhere.
Hong Kong and Macau, the sake gateways to China
Japan Times, 7th April 2018
In keeping with a rise in sake exports around the world, sales of the beverage are growing in Macau, an autonomous region of China known for its casinos and luxury hotels. Driven by the popularity of Japanese cuisine and its associations with prestige, sake exports to Macau rose to a high of ¥150 million in 2017, according to Japan’s Ministry of Finance.
Old sake gets a new lease on life
Nikkei Asian Review, 7th April 2018
Hayato Shoji, a 42-year-old sake brewer in Chiba Prefecture, north of Tokyo, is a fifth generation master with a proud family pedigree going back 140 years. Today, he is intent on reviving an old tradition: sipping aged sake, a custom once popular among ordinary Japanese.
Why Restaurants Are Choosing Sake Over Wine For Food Pairing
Hong Kong Tatler, 6th April 2018
From the tables of Hong Kong to Europe, North America and beyond, the traditional Japanese rice wine is increasingly being accepted as an enjoyable and versatile accompaniment to food, and not simply for dishes from the beverage’s Asian homeland.
Why You Should Never Pour Your Own Sake
Vinepair, 3rd April 2018
The primary ritual to keep in mind when drinking sake, the Japanese beverage in the midst of an American renaissance, is to never pour your own glass. Sake is meant to be a team sport, whether it’s accompanying a Michelin-starred meal, or paired with your roommates’ pizza on the couch.
With export of Japanese sake peaking in 2017, focus shifts to education, enjoyment
The Mainichi, 2nd April 2018
Along with the Japanese food boom, “sake” rice wine has also seen a sharp rise in popularity. In part due to the “Cool Japan Strategy” promoted by the public and private sectors, 2017 saw the greatest ever export income from the beverage, and enthusiasts are moving onto the next stage: how best to educate those abroad about the drink.
Know by Moto: Sake finds a chic haven below Shinjuku
Japan Times, 31st March 2018
So you’ve rendezvoused beneath the huge video screen at Studio Alta. You’ve explored Shinjuku, maybe caught a movie or trawled for treats in the gleaming depachika (basement food floor) of the Isetan department store. Now you’re ready for sustenance. Somewhere cool, with good food and premium sake. No problem at all for those in The Know.
Oz Clarke: ‘Challenge Your Perceptions Of Sake
The Drinks Business, 28th March 2018
UK drinkers need to “challenge their perceptions of sake” and embrace its, often surprising, versatility wine writer Oz Clarke urged at the launch of a new campaign to promote the ancient Japanese drink this week. Clarke and fellow drinks writers Olly Smith and Susy Atkins were talking at the launch of a new campaign backed by the Japanese government which is seeking to “transform the way sake is served and enjoyed in the UK”.
Why sake is the drink of 2018
London Evening Standard, 23rd March 2018
It may have nearly two millennia of history, but how much do you know about sake? In recent years, the traditional Japanese tipple’s unique taste and rich and plentiful flavours has seen it appear on more and more menus, causing its UK availability to increase dramatically.
As Japan falls out of love with sake, brewers look to the West
NBC News, 21st February 2018
Sake runs in Tokubee Masuda’s blood. He’s the 14th generation of his family to operate one of the many sake breweries in Fushimi, a small district in Japan’s old capital of Kyoto.
Is Japanese sake too cheap? Many in the industry think so
Nikkei Asian Review, 14th February 2018
Japanese sake is gaining enthusiastic fans around the world. Yet foreigners who are familiar with sake after drinking it at places like upscale restaurants are often surprised at how cheap it is in Japan.
French develop taste for Japanese ‘sake nouveau’
The Telegraph, 4th February 2018
The Japanese are very partial to France’s Beaujolais Nouveau wine, and bon vivants in Paris are now returning the compliment by developing a taste for “Sake Nouveau”.
Sake company Aramasa Shuzo seeks new edge with techno partnership
Japan Times, 20th January 2018
Last month, techno DJ Richie Hawtin — who came to fame in the 1990s under the alias Plastikman — threw a party at The Hangar, a cavernous sake den in Tokyo’s hipster Nakameguro neighborhood.
Sake fights for a place at the table
New Haven Register, 16th January 2018
As Japanese cuisine becomes increasingly popular around the world, sake is also getting its turn in the spotlight. However, it’s still far from an everyday beverage overseas.
Yamagata brewing venture makes splash abroad with sake aged in wine barrels
Japan Times, 7th January 2018
Wakaze Inc. in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, exports its Orbia brand sake to markets such as France and Hong Kong. Orbia comes in two varieties, Sol and Luna (Latin for sun and moon), with the former known for its rich sourness and fruity aroma and the latter for its delicate sweetness, the company claims.
The Hangar: A triumphant pairing of food, sake and techno in Tokyo
Japan Times, 6th January 2018
How better to start the new year than with lofty aspirations, a leisurely dinner in a hip setting, techno on the sound system — and plenty of great sake? That’s exactly what you find at The Hangar, a sleek little sake-specialist bar-turned-restaurant that seems to exemplify Japan’s reborn enthusiasm for its national tipple, nihonshu.
Food and Sake Pairings that aren’t Traditional Japanese Dishes
The Manual, 5th January 2018
Ask 10 people about what they would pair with sake and, unless you’ve got someone who has spent a good deal of time drinking the stuff, it’s almost a sure bet that they’re all going to same the same thing: Japanese food.
Americans Love Pairing Sake With Sushi, But It’s a Big Mistake
Vinepair, 3rd January 2018
Sake is having a moment in the U.S. We are currently Japan’s largest export market for its traditional rice beverage, sipping nearly 5,000 kiloliters per year. Small wine shops sell unfiltered nigori sake alongside hipster varietal wines.
A Luxury Sake Bar from Tokyo Eyes New York Opening
Eater New York, 2nd January 2018
A super upscale sake bar from Tokyo with sake tasting menus and $700 bottles is headed to New York. Twelv, which specializes in sake and Japanese tapas made from organic ingredients, is scouting spaces in Soho and the West Village.
Fukushima Looks to Top-Tier Sake to Beat Stigma, Lift Economy
Bloomberg, 28th December 2017
In an area of Japan still decimated by a nuclear disaster, sake is giving cause for hope. For the past five years, the sake brewers of Fukushima, on a two-decade quest to develop premium products, have captured the most gold medals in a key national competition and have won numerous international awards.
Sake brewer jumps on wine bandwagon in France
The Asahi Shimbun, 25th December 2017
A sake brewer is making wine from a grape it grows in France as part of an effort to promote Japan’s traditional beverage across the globe. Banjo Jozo, a brewery in Nagoya’s Midori Ward that is famous for its Kamoshibito Kuheiji “junmai daiginjo” high-quality sake, has started producing wine in Burgundy.
My discovery of sake
Nappa Valley Register, 21st December 2017
Like many other people, I started drinking sake at the local mom-and-pop sushi joints, the now relocated Sushi Mambo, the legendary Fujiya at the Napa Outlets owned and operated by the late Eiko Nakamura, and some San Francisco gems such as Blowfish Sushi.
Brewer of Japan’s famed Dassai sake to open New York plant
Nikkei Asian Review, 12th December 2017
The brewer behind Japan’s premium Dassai sake brand wants to sell high-quality but affordable bottles to the American masses, and it plans to open a large brewery in New York State to do it.
3 of Japan’s most prominent sake-producing regions
London Evening Standard, 7th December 2017
Kate Lough catches 10 minutes with Natskui Kikuya, the director of sake at Sakagura, to hear about how regionality affects the taste of sake.
Award-Winning Hiro® Sake Announces The Debut Of Hiro Gold In Japan
PR Newswire, 5th December 2017
Hiro Sake®, the award-winning, handcrafted, premium sake from Japan, is proud to announce its market entry to Japan, the country where it is produced. Hiro is hand crafted Japanese sake using only the finest ingredients at the Taiyo Sake Brewery in the Niigata Prefecture.
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Why You Should Swap Out White Wine With Sake This Holiday Season
Forbes, 20th November 2017
For Nancy Cushman, the co-owner of dining hot spots O Ya and Covina, sake is serious business. And since discovering the Japanese spirit twenty years ago, she’s made it her mission to help even the most veteran tipplers transform their views on how, when, and why they should drink it.
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Sake London-Style: Britain’s First Sake Brewery
Nippon, 11th November 2017
No wonder Lucy Holmes and Tom Wilson describe their sake business as a “nanobrewery.” At just 25 square meters in area, you almost feel this entire operation could fit one of the larger sake vats in Japan.
Blending Techno And Tradition: You Should Be Dancing … With Sake
The Salt, 22nd October 2017
“I first traveled to Japan in 1994 and, upon landing, the culture immediately made a deep impression on me,” says Hawtin. “I found a country filled with beautiful contrasts which balanced high technology and deep cultural traditions.”
The Secret to reading Sake Labels
Vinepair, 20th October 2017
Sake is often misunderstood. To many Americans, the Japanese beverage is only consumed hot or dropped into a beer after pounding the table and yelling, “When you say sake I say bomb! Sake! Bomb!”
Fukushima sake served and savored at U.K. Parliament
Japan Times, 19th October 2017
A reception was held on Tuesday night at London’s Palace of Westminster used for Britain’s Parliament to serve sake made in Fukushima Prefecture and show its recovery from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit the Tohoku region, triggering a nuclear plant disaster.
Building of UK’s first Japanese-run sake brewery nears completion
Cambridge News, 17th October 2017
The construction of the UK’s first sake brewery is nearing completion. Nestled within the historic grounds of Fordham Abbey near Ely, the Dojima Sake Brewery will start test brewing in the New Year. The red roof went on to the barn style building last Friday (October 13) and local contractor’s Patrick Doyle are set to hand over the building on November 18.
‘Doburoku’: Reviving a rustic sake tradition
Japan Times, 7th October 2017
Sachio Egawa is a Renaissance man of sorts. A spry 68-year-old with a jokey manner and a full head of black hair, he raises his own cows, grows rice and cultivates giant yamame trout in a pond on his farm in northern Iwate Prefecture. In autumn, he forages for wild mushrooms; in winter, he goes hunting for deer and, on occasion, bears.
Japan makes sake tax-free for tourists
Inquirer, 5th October 2017
Tourists may now purchase bottles of Japan’s native alcohol sake (rice wine) from designated Japanese breweries and distilleries. According to the newly-launched program, the 86.4 yen (about P39) liquor tax and 8 percent consumption tax will be waived when tourists purchase a 720 milliliter bottle of refined sake or “seishuu” from a government designated brewery, reports The Japan Times.
Restaurant runs sake festival as part of month-long celebration
Bar Magazine, 4th October 2017
Sakagura, the Japanese restaurant and sake bar in London’s Mayfair, is celebrating all things sake this month, including a day-long festival. Starting on World Sake Day on October 1, the bar is championing its extensive range of sakes, available by the glass, carafe or bottle, covering styles from namazake, honjozo, junmai and daiginjo to sparkling, cloudy nigori and aged koshu.
Newly Opened Sake Central Is What Sake Lovers Have All Been Waiting For
Hong Kong Tatler, 15th September 2017
Sake Central is set to take Hong Kong’s food and beverage scene to the next level, with ample space at Soho’s PMQ given over to the project helmed by Elliot Faber, Ken Nagai and Takashi Endo. The trio, each involved in Japanese culture and the F&B industry, bring a wealth of knowledge about the country’s famed tipple.
Britain’s appetite for sake is showing signs of growth
Japan Times, 12th August 2017
According to research by drinks supplier Bibendum, sake sales in Britain have increased by 240 percent over the past 10 years. The days when sake could only be found in Japanese restaurants are gone, too. The drink is now stocked in a wide range of venues across Britain, including pop-up dining experiences, cocktail bars and department stores.
For goodness’ sake: Soho+Co’s pop-up sake bar makes a splash in London
Wallpaper Magazine, 7th August 2017
As part of a wider celebration of Japanese culture, London architecture and design studio Soho+Co has launched a portable sake bar in the British Museum’s Great Court in collaboration with Japan House.
Meet The Couple Brewing Sake In South London
Londonist, 1st August 2017
Just a few streets from the cut and thrust of Peckham’s Rye Lane, sandwiched between a carpenter and music studio, you’ll find a couple bringing the 1,300 year old art of Japanese sake brewing to London. They call themselves Kanpai, and in this tiny industrial unit inside the Print Village, they are, perhaps, making booze history.
To Lure Wine Lovers, Sake Makers Learn It’s All About Rice
Bloomberg Pursuits, 24th July 2017
Last year, Nanbu-Bijin generated about 100 million yen ($903,000) in foreign sales, amounting to 15 percent of its total revenue. Shipments were made to 34 markets, including the U.S., France, China and Nigeria. That’s up from zero two decades ago, and Kuji says he’s targeting 30 percent of sales in five years.
East Meets… The UK’s First Sake Brewery – Kanpai in Peckham
Inside Japan Tours, 15th August 2017
Three years after supping all of the sake on a mammoth trip around Japan, Lucy and Tom have brought the taste of the East to South London with the UK’s first ever sake brewery.
Shipments of sake made in France to start in Sept.
Japan News, 15th August 2017
Shipments of ripe sake made at a brewery in Pelussin, southern France, using rice from Japan will start next month. French businessman Gregoire Boeuf, 35, who learned sake-making in Tottori Prefecture, says that he wants to let French people experience the flavor of local sake in Japan.
As Japan falls out of love with sake, the world orders another glass
The Guardian, 15th July 2017
The Japanese have been drinking sake since around the eight century, originally believing that it warded off evil spirits. But with more people turning their back on their national drink, which is made from fermented rice, brewers are winning converts far beyond Japan’s shores.
Aldi now sells £3.99 Japanese sake, but does it taste any good?
Telegraph, 14th July 2017
Sushi is now mainstream: we eat it as a desk-snack instead of an egg and cress sandwich, and order it in for parties and dinners at home. Yet sake, its traditional accompaniment, hasn’t made quite the same incursions into the booze supply clanking in our fridge doors.
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Sake from Japan’s Saga Popular in Paris Contest (News)
Nipon.com, 12th July 2017
At the Kura Master contest held in Paris last month, more than 30 jurors, including top sommeliers in France, tasted 550 sake brands from across Japan. They chose top five brands each in the junmai and junmai daiginjō categories.
Liberty Wines makes first foray into Sake
Harpers, 30th June 2017
Liberty Wines has become the UK agent for Tosa Brewery’s Keigetsu range, marking the first time they’ve added a Sake into their portfolio.
Japanese sake startup finds way to float in sinking industry
Japan Times, 8th April 2017
Entrepreneur Nao Kohara sits at a table in his favorite neighborhood bar, checking emails on his laptop computer and sipping a glass of sake. Some of his brightest business ideas have been hatched over a few drinks — including the concept behind his latest venture, a startup called Nihonshu Oendan (sake supporters)
Sake served like beer from tanks new star at Koshien Stadium
The Asahi Shimbun, 6th April 2017
The professional baseball season is now in full swing across Japan, and this season there is a newcomer to the stands. Beer has long been a mainstay of beverages offered during games. But from April 7, attendants in happi coats will start dispensing sake at Koshien Stadium here from tanks strapped to their backs, just as beer is sold.
Hidehiko Ishizuka takes his love of sake on tour in streaming TV series
Japan Times, 10th March 2017
Gourmandizing television personality Hidehiko Ishizuka has a famously large appetite. Apparently, the portly comedian also has a taste for Japanese sake. On a clear February afternoon in the sake-producing region of Fushimi, just south of Kyoto, he samples a glass of sake in the tasting room of Matsumoto Shuzo, a historical brewery and designated heritage site.
Asano: Sake tasting as an antidote for the shopping blues
Japan Times, 10th March 2017
This one is for the shoppers, or for those who have to go shopping but would rather be drinking sake. On the ground floor of Kyoto Aeon Mall, directly behind Kyoto Station, you’ll find Asano, a sake shop that has a small counter where they serve tasting menus and a concise but lively food menu.
Sake brewer Philip Harper: ‘You need to learn humility in the face of nature’
Japan Times, 25th February 2017
Toji is usually translated as “master brewer.” He (or, very occasionally, she) is entirely responsible for the practical business of brewing in a particular sake brewery. I started as a sake brewery underling and never stopped, until the point when the toji of the brewery I was working for at the time moved on, and the owner asked me to take over.
Onsen charts a new course: Sake, supper and a soak
San Francisco Chronicle, 24th February 2017
I was there purely out of curiosity because the idea of a bath, restaurant and teahouse under one warehouse-size roof was worth exploring, if only for the novelty. What I didn’t expect was how good, and how reasonably priced, the food coming out of the tiny kitchen would be.
‘God of sake brewing’ making a comeback in Ishikawa
Asahi Shimbun, 23rd February 2017
An 84-year-old known as “a god of sake brewing” will come out of retirement to live the rest of his life doing what he loves best. Naohiko Noguchi retired as brewer two years ago, but he will start making and shipping sake at a planned new brewery in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in October. Noguchi has been involved in the brewing industry since he was 16 years old. He said his return to the business is “my last service.”
‘Sunshine Sento Sake’ Is the Next Best Thing to Being in Tokyo
Eater, 21st February 2017
Sunshine Sento-Sake is based on a series of illustrated essays written by Masayuki Kusumi and illustrated by Haruki Izumi. A translation of the intro reads, “Drinks enjoyed while the sun is still up are delicious. The defiance it takes to brazenly enjoy a drink despite having other things one ought to be doing makes it taste simply exquisite. A drink’s flavor becomes that much richer with the knowledge that though you’ve already begun drinking, much of the day yet remains.”
How Japanese food is revolutionising the way we eat
FT How to Spend It, 10th February 2017
The recent appointment of a new head chef at The Square, the two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Mayfair, caused a minor stir among gastronomic folk. For the first time in London, a Japanese chef is leading the brigade at an elite French restaurant.
Launch of a Global E-commerce Site for Premium Japanese Sake
Yahoo Finance, 20th January 2017
A global e-commerce site Premium Sake will be launched by liquor consultant Kyo-ya and Inishie Sake (Tokyo) store, together with Forblu Inc. on January 20th 2017. The online shop will enable the discerning appreciators of the finer things in life to receive direct delivery of the highest quality Sakes.
JAPANESE SAKE BATHS ARE THE BEST NEW WAY TO REVIVE YOUR SKIN
Harper’s Bazaar, 17th January 2017
Japanese skincare treatments, from green tea facials to SK-II sheet masks, have become essential components of our weekly skincare routines, so naturally we’re very interested in the age-old Japanese skincare ritual that’s suddenly gained world-wide acclaim: The Sake Bath.
Add Sake To Your Beauty Regimen
Food & Wine, 14th January 2017
Sake’s softening, hydrating and glow-giving powers largely come from kojic acid—a by-product of rice malt that’s been used for centuries in Japanese rituals.
Sake from all 37 breweries in Akita available at one outlet
The Asahi Shimbun, 14th January 2017
AKITA–A company’s promotion of sake from around the prefecture includes a convenient outlet that serves about 100 varieties from all 37 “nihonshu” breweries in the northern prefecture.
Bishu Okoku Akita (Beautiful sake kingdom Akita), known simply as Sake-Navi, opened on Dec. 21 in the busy Kawabata commercial district of this prefectural capital.
Why You Should Take a Sake Bath in Japan
Conde Nast Traveller, 14th January 2017
When we heard about a castle in Italy offering wine-inspired spa treatments, we pretty much thought we were in heaven—hello booze, castles, and spas. But a few spots in Japan may have just kicked it up a notch by offering relaxing baths made of sake, or rice wine.
Richie Hawtin Wants You to Ditch Vodka and Tequila for Sake in the Club
Thump News, 9th January 2017
Canadian electronic musician Richie Hawtin has a lot of enthusiasm about the potential benefits of sake for clubbing. In an interview with The Japan Times published Friday, he details how he came to love the Japanese rice wine so much, and how he’s come to incorporate it into his profession as a DJ and entrepreneur.
Richie Hawtin: Pairing Japan’s best sake with techno
Japan Times, 6th January 2017
Richie Hawtin needs no introduction to anyone familiar with electronic music. For 25 years, this Berlin-based, English-Canadian DJ has been at the forefront of techno and he continues to play at major music and art events around the planet. Less well known is his passion for premium sake and his work introducing Japan’s national drink to the rest of the world through his Enter.Sake project.