A few weeks ago we celebrated the exciting news of “Traditional Sake Brewing with Koji” being listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (if you missed it you can find out more here) and in this episode, we decided to dive deeper into the world of koji as we had the immense pleasure of interviewing Higuchi Koichi, owner of Higuchi…

Earlier this week the sake industry received some amazing news: "traditional sake brewing" was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. However, the term is rather vague on its own. So for this episode of Sake on Air, our hosts Arline Lyons and Frank Walter set out to clarify what "traditional sake brewing" means, the potential benefits of the listing,…

Japanese sake is made from water, rice, and koji. There are many specific rice varieties cultivated for brewing sake, all of which are lumped together as sakamai (酒米). Some are more prominent than others and one in particular has gotten itself a bit of a cult following. You may refer to it as the OG or grandfather of sakamai and…

In our latest Podcast Cindy Bissig and Frank Walter had the pleasure to welcome no other than Singapore’s first Sake Samurai - Adrian Goh, the director and chief educator at Inter Rice Asia, IWC judge and organizer of one of Singapore’s biggest Sake Matsuris!For anyone unfamiliar with what a Sake Samurai is or how to become one, it is a…

Sebastien Lemoine, Chris Hughes, and Miho Ota sit down with Sam Boulton, author, mixologist and drinks consultant to talk about his new book, “The Art of Mixing Koji Cocktails.” Sam is based in Birmingham, and is one of handful of experts on Japanese booze in the UK. He was a participant in this year's Advanced Shochu Academy in Kagoshima, and…

Many people will be familiar with the word GI (Geographical Indication), especially if they are familiar with wine. Famous GIs are known around the world like Champagne or Prosciutto. But what about sake? Does sake need a GI system? What does a GI actually mean? Where do we find these regions in Japan and does GI make any sense in…

As sake continues to gain popularity around the world, shochu is next in line. In August 2024, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) held its inaugural week-long Advanced Shochu Academy in Kagoshima. The event was designed to educate professionals in the global beverage industry about shochu.The 12 participants came from diverse backgrounds—educators, importers, and consultants from seven different…

Nada is a well-known name in the world of sake. Almost a brand, it is associated with the area whose sake dominated the Edo (Tokyo) market in the later part of the Edo period (1603-1868), and it is still the largest sake production area in Japan.  Despite this track record, “Nada sake” can sometimes be reduced to an association with…

This week on our show, we’re heading to Kagoshima, the heart of Japan’s shochu production! Join us as one of our regular hosts, Chris Pellegrini, sits down with the incredible Maya Aley – a certified Shochu Meister and industry expert with over 6 years of experience. Maya is also the manager of Bar Roku, a must-visit destination for shochu lovers.…

Summer in Japan is hot! Too hot some might say. To help beat the heat, nihonshu producers sell a variety of sake called natsuzake or “summer sake.” But what is natsuzake really? It has no legal definition and no established taste or serving guidelines. Miho Ohta and John Gauntner have a conversation about the recent trends in natsuzake until  Frank…

This week we are excited to welcome not just one, but two amazing guests to our table Yu Nakamura and Nattinee Sirirattanapol, aka Pam, who are changing the face of sake in Thailand with an array of amazing projects and collaborations! So join us as one of our regular hosts Chris Hughes sat down with them at our base the…

We're Back! This time we are talking to Maksim Polkin of Imadeya, one of the most well known sake distributors in Japan. He is usually at their Ginza Six location, but helps introduce people to the wonders of sake all around Tokyo. Sebastien Lemoine and Chris Hughes talk with Maksim about how he found himself in Japan and in Sake.…

This week Chris Hughes continues our discussion of contract brewing sake with a conversation with Nathaniel Hoy. We started this series with Episode-117: A Sake of Your Own: Contract Brewing Sake: in which Sebastien Lemoine, Chris and Justin Potts shared their opinions and expertise on the trend of sake companies brewing custom sakes for clients. We recommend you listen to…

In this week's episode of Sake On Air Sebastien Lemoin and Cindy Bissig are talking about the World’s largest sake event, which just so happens to be a project that one of our other regular hosts; Rebekah Wilson Lye is deeply involved in. We are of course talking about Craft Sake Week in Tokyo! Japan’s most prominent sake event, which…