Imadeya

Sales of premium sake are surging. So is tourism to Japan. The latter fuels the former in part, but the ‘renaissance of quality’ among many breweries is the real reason for sake’s newfound success. Certain retailers deserve credit, too. For the right retailers, the market is rich with opportunity. But what makes the right retailer?…

Yeast: complex simplicity

photo: Kaetsu Shuzô president Shunichi Satô with yeast (in solution) text: by John Gauntner   A sake’s aroma might be described as its kanban-musume, a term that refers to a charming young woman that attracts the attention of passers-by and draws potential customers into a store on a busy shopping street. This is especially the case…

Kimoto vs. Yamahai

Kimoto and yamahai styles of sake seem to have something of a cult status among sake fans. This may be attributable to the fact that they are somewhat rare, or perhaps that so few people actually know what they are and what makes them special. But that veil of mystery is not necessary; you can…

Dassai: Sake Revolutionaries

(Kazuhiro Sakurai, holding a bottle of Dassai 23) Successful companies rise to greatness through leadership. Without it, talent too readily loses focus. Company culture struggles to find identity. Work becomes mere motion, not a source of inspiration that fuels itself in a virtuous circle, leading to meaningful products and services.   Dassai is quite possibly…

Daishichi

Daishichi’s increasingly global fame owes to its ability to accommodate opposites: new technology with traditional techniques, modern marketing with older industry practices, and contemporary flavor trends with ancient styles. The brewery’s success is also tied to its 10th generation owner, Ohta Hideharu, a man who brings to social interactions all the refined formalities you’d expect…

Sake Bar Yoramu

Yoram Ofer is something of the lone wolf with a reputation. People who know of his Kyoto-based bar Yoramu (the Japanese phonetic spelling of his name) sometimes whisper that he is… different. Some in the sake industry consider him a heretic. On hearing rumors of his eccentricity, people might be a little intimidated about going.…

Yamagata Sake

One of the primary forces currently driving the positive state of affairs in the sake world is the emergence of young brewers. The transition from an era in which those who actually brewed sake were farmers who had no work in the winter months and therefore worked for sake breweries only during that time period…

Kaetsu Shuzo: Sake to Tame a Fox

Countryside towns in Japan, while short on residents, never seem to be lacking in folklore or legends. Some are so outlandish, one wonders if sake may have been a major influence in their creation. The small town of Agamachi in Niigata, home to some 11,000 or so residents, has one of the more interesting legends…