Episodes

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 …

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. Sake …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …