Sake’s Missing Link with Pernod Ricard’s Yann Soenen

With LINK, Pernod Ricard made their first foray into the world of sake. Bringing together the craftmanship and nuance of Chivas Regal with the pioneering spirit of Toyama’s Masuda Shuzo – makers of Masuizumi - the company in charge of many of the world’s most iconic labels in spirits set out to bring an unprecedented proposal to the world of sake.But why sake? And why now? This week Sebastien and Justin welcome Marketing Director for Pernod Ricard Japan, Yann Soenen, to discuss this and more.While the focus of the show is, of course, primarily on sake, we can’t help but inquire about the world of Japanese spirits, as well; particularly with Pernod Ricard’s recent acquisition of The Kyoto Distillery, creators of Ki No Bi, a label that has almost overnight become synonymous with Japanese gin.This was the first show that we here at Sake On Air have recorded satellite following Japan entering a State of Emergency due to the impact of the COVID-19, which means that the audio is a bit rougher than our listeners might be used to. At the time of releasing this episode, the State of Emergency has been released across all of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, and things are slowly beginning to shift back into motion, however we’ll likely continue to record a few more episodes remotely before getting everyone together for our standard format at the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center. We just kindly ask for your patience and understanding as we gradually transition into the world ahead of us along with the rest of you.  Thanks for tuning in everyone.Take care & Kampai!Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter.Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.