Episode 84. The Holidays are our favorite time of year!  And sake, of course, is our favorite beverage. This week, we explore a new project that brings them together like never before. Online sake retailer Namazake Paul has released the first Sake Advent Calendar! That's right! 23 Sake cups and a full size bottle to enjoy on the 24th.  The sake cups arrive in a big rectangular box that, when opened, reveals the cutest illustration of a snowy christmas village filled with cartoon animals enjoying sake and winter fun.  Behind each door, as you'd expect, is a single serving cup of sake.  This was a massive effort to put together and immensely fun to enjoy and explore.  Tim and John taste through Dec 1st and 2nd in this episode and generally just have fun getting into the holiday spirit.  Be sure to visit the episode show notes if you'd like to get information for getting your own sake advent calendar for next year!Support the show

Episode 83. We love a good sake interview and today we have a great one!  We are joined by our friend Sam Barickman who has worked in just about every aspect of the sake industry.  Sam has worked not only for a sake brewery but he has also introduced sake to the public as a sake sommelier in high end restaurants. Currently Sam is active in sake distribution and sales with a new distribution company, Sipt Global.  We sit down with Sam to learn about his path into the sake industry and it involves ripe peaches, a stunning view of Mount Fuji and of course some show stopping premium sake.  We also tasted two of Sipt Global's products from the renowned Kozaemon brand produced by Nakashima Jozo in Gifu Prefecture.  These two brews are a delight and are great examples of elegance and depth in the sakes that Kozaemon is producing.  Listen in as we taste, explore and enjoy these sakes but be on high alert for that #UmamiSneakAttack!Support the show

Episode 82.  Japan is well known as an exceedingly polite country but along with this comes a bevy of rules and regulations to guide manners and behaviors for just about every social situation.  This applies to sake drinking as well with a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to drinking culture.  This week Tim and John explore the world of sake etiquette and all that that entails.  From how to pour sake to how to receive sake, do you know the rules? The more formal the situation, the more likely it is that the sake etiquette will be more strictly adhered to.  Beyond just being polite, sake etiquette also helps us dive deeper into understanding Japanese culture as a whole. For example, the idea of "wa" or group harmony is at the root of some ideas that drive sake manners. However you slice it, sake manners are important.  With that in mind, let's listen in and learn to mind our Ps and Qs while sipping sake!Support the show

Episode 81. This week, let's peruse another prefecture and visit what's known as the "Roof of Japan", the mountainous, landlocked and high altitude Nagano Prefecture. This prefecture is most widely known as the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics but it is also famous for its photogenic snow monkeys that love to warm up in the onsen hot springs in winter. The many towering mountain chains of Nagano provide snow melt water to much of the region and because of this, Nagano has the second highest number of sake breweries of any prefecture.  John and Timothy sample a sake from a quintessential brand of Nagano: Masumi, and they explore their flagship, the Masumi Okuden Kantsukuri Junmai. The guys really dig deep and "talk turkey" about this brew.  Join us for another virtual outing to a sake-centric prefecture as we explore and sip our way through Nagano!Support the show

Episode 80. It's time to get wild again! Wild about sake rice, that is.  This week we zero in on a premium sake rice that is elegant and a true workhorse: Gohyakumangoku. This is not a sake rice name that rolls off the tongue on first glance, but it is well worth getting to know.  Once you've conquered the pronunciation, the rest is pure enjoyment.  Gohyakumangoku is the second most produced premium sake rice in Japan and comes from the land of clean, crisp and dry sake: Niigata Prefecture.  As you might expect, this rice produces sake that tends to be lighter, cleaner and more airy - perfect for Niigata's regional style.  We'll be tasting a classic Niigata sake to examine these characteristics a bit deeper and to see what Gohyakumangoku sake rice brings to the party.  Join us as we go a bit gaga for Gohyaku!Support the show

Episode 79.  This week we pay another visit to the Sake Education Corner to focus on what is known as "roka" or fine particulate filtering.  this can be done by both a activated carbon powder or by a micron filter.  The sake industry is full of debate as to whether filtering strips all the personality out of sake, or provides a clarity for color and flavor.  At the end of the day it is up to our palate and our preferences!  To test the waters, we are sampling one "muroka" or non-charcoal filtered sake, and one standard filtered sake.  The differences are subtle and interesting.  What Brita does to our tap water, brewers also usually do to our sake as well.  Join us as we focus on filtration for this week's episode!Support the show

Episode 78. Movies about sake are few and far between, so you can bet that "The Birth of Sake" caught our attention when it was released as a feature length documentary in 2015.  It profiles a brewing season at Yoshida Shuzoten, the makers of Tedorigawa brand sake out of Ishikawa Prefecture.  The story centers on Yasuyuki Yoshida, the 7th generation heir to the brewery and chronicles his path to learning the skills not only to take over as brewery president, but also be come the new master brewer when their toji moves toward retirement.  It's a beautifully shot film that truly takes you inside the brewery.  Just as beautiful is the Tedorigawa sake that is well known as an outstanding example of premium sake with an emphasis on the flavorful yamahai brewing style.  There is a lot to explore as we learn about The evolution of this great Ishikawa brewery.  Support the show

Episode 77. October 1st is the biggest day of the year for us - it's World Sake Day!  2021 saw Sake Day reemerge from the cancellations of last year and there was an array of in-person events happening from coast to coast.  This episode is a recap and overview of some of those events.  Mark your calendars now if you'd like to get involved with sake day next year.   We also get in our usual sake tasting with two fresh and delightful brews: Dan Junmai Ginjo from Sasaichi Brewery and Gangi Hitotsubi from Yaoshin Shuzo.  They are a delicious way to button up our Sake Day experiences and to look ahead to an even bigger sake day next year!Support the show

Episode 76.  Another week, another brand profile! Join us as we travel up north to the very top of Honshu – to Aomori Prefecture. Located a stone’s throw from the coastal shoreline, Hachinohe Shuzo has been crafting sake in Aomori since 1775. More recently, two brothers have taken over at the Brewery, Hideyuki and Nobuyuki Komai and they began steering their small batch “Mutsu Hassen” brand in exciting new directions. With tweaks to the traditional sake brewing orthodoxy, such as using white koji and shortening the length of the shubo yeast starter process, the Komai brothers have created exciting new sake flavors that don’t stray too far from tradition. Listen in as Timothy talks about his 2013 visit to this brewery and his literal run in with both a sugidama (hanging cedar branch ball) and a minor typhoon. And completely unrelated to Squid Games on Netflix, there is way more squid talk than one might expect.Support the show

Episode 75. This week, the Sake Revolution is running on flower power!  We're talking specifically about "hana kobo" or flower yeast. Yes, that is yeast for fermentation that is isolated from an acutal bloom and propagated for use in sake. While not something every brewery does, this is a delightfully scented niche in the world of sake. Backed by a research institute at Tokyo's Nodai University, there has been a true blossoming in the understanding and use of these special yeasts to make some unique and delicious sakes.  John and Timothy dive nose first into a prime example of flower yeast style sake: Amabuki's Strawberry-blossom Junmai Ginjo Nama from Saga Prefecture.  As with all hana kobo sakes, you can bet this one has an extraordinary bouquet.  But do we smell strawberries?  Listen in this week as we try to learn the language of flowers.Support the show