Japan is a paradise of artisanal products and that of course includes beverages. One of its most overlooked outside of Japan, despite production and popularity nationwide, is shochu. It’s a distilled cousin of sake and–its fans would argue–just as versatile and enjoyable. First, shochu is only made in Japan. In this age of global beverages,…
Sake is Japan’s most famous indigenous alcoholic beverage and its popularity is growing around the world, as evidenced by booming exports and also the appearance of dozens of overseas breweries in North America, Europe, and even New Zealand. Geography, however, introduces an important point before we take you into the basics of sake. Another word…
What brings you sake enjoyment? Is it simply drinking it? Is it about where, how, and with whom you drink sake? Most people probably prefer imbibing at a Japanese restaurant. The common conviction that it’s an integral part of the Japanese dining experience is strong (and not misguided). We at Sake Today certainly enjoy it…
We’ve been watching the momentum of single-serving (“one-cup”) sake formats in America for some time now, occasionally commenting on it in the magazine and in our social media. We’ve always thought these had a lot of promise and now it seems they’ve crossed the chasm and are gaining significant uptake among consumers. One candidate for…
Japan operates on its own timeline. Literally. It counts years according to the reigns of emperors, not the Gregorian calendar. As you read this, it’s year three of the Reiwa era. Even Japanese have trouble converting between the two calendars. It will be easy for those of us who have lived through the pandemic to…
Nada, the hallowed sake producing district in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, is home to a handful of world-class breweries, Hakutsuru being perhaps the most notable. We featured this brewery in great detail in Sake Today 23. Since its founder, Jihei Kanô, got started in 1743 the brewery has built its reputation on innovation and blockbuster products.…
Sake heavyweight Ozeki, based in Japan’s sake mecca of Nada, made a powerful statement earlier this year with the release of a new product: the One Love, One Cup. With a rainbow label and the tagline, “We celebrate diversity”, the product was an expression of support for the LGBTQ community in Japan and abroad. It’s…
What can we here at Sake Today write to make you feel good about the present moment? Well, if you’re reading this then perhaps your situation isn’t so bad; you’ve at least found yourself some leisure time for reading. Hopefully there’s access to sake wherever you are, if you aren’t sipping it already. Breweries in…
World Sake Day, known as Nihonshu no Hi (simply “Sake Day”) in Japanese, takes place every year on October 1st and has become an international phenomenon. This year’s celebration, in altered form, was proof of that. First, a little about the history. The sake brewing season traditionally starts in October as cooler weather arrives in…
The introduction to our previous issue expressed how excited we were for 2020 because of the Olympics and a number of other trends that would place sake in the international spotlight. Now here we are (and thankfully you are still here). We had originally planned for this to be a comprehensive Tokyo issue, as the…