Sake On Air

“ 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...

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 reinterprete...

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 motherlan...

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...

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 of...

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 communica...

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 d...

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...

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 r...

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 . Sak...

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...

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...

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 appropr...

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 in...

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...

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-p...

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 the...

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. I...

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) associate...

“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 we...

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’...

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 tun...

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 rea...

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...

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 2 nd most breweries in Japan some wild diversity. Being a rather short and easy trip from T...