Sake On Air

It now feels like eons ago when, only just last month, the global sake community seemed to have all flocked to Japan for the final days of the winter brewing season. My how the world has changed… It was during this time that we managed to catch up with David Joll, owner and head brewer at Queenstown’s pioneering sake brewery, Zenkuro, and Mathew Kingsley-Shaw, co-owner and head brewer at the soon-to-be Melbourne Sake. The Sake On Air team of Marie Nagata, Chris Hughes, Justin Potts, and Sebastien Lemoine sat down with these gentlemen for a conversation that went on for nearly three hours. Reluctant to trim away too many tasty tidbits, we’ve decided to split the recording into a two-part episode, the first part which you’re (hopefully) listening to now, with part two scheduled to release in the coming days. During the first half of this marathon, these ambitious brewers and entrepreneurs discuss their initial motivations for making the leap into sake production, the people and examples that guided them early on, the initial trial and error process, and more. There’s plenty more to the story when it comes to building a brewery from scratch in the Land Down Under. Stay tuned, as plenty more insight from these gentlemen will be hitting the airwaves in a matter of days. For those of you that could take a spare moment to review and rate us on Apple Podcasts, it would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to send your questions and comments about this or any of our shows to questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, or to @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can find us on YouTube as well. Take care out there everyone.And don’t forget to 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.

Continuing with our Meet Your Hosts series, this week we bring you interviews with another pair from the team here at Sake On Air. First up we have Marie Nagata, interviewed by John Gauntner – a bit of an interesting dynamic, as it was Marie’s participation in John’s Sake Professional Course and the community of sake lovers and sake-curious who shared that experience with her that initially lured her down this path, as you’ll hear her describe. Essentially, a Jedi Master interviewing his young Padawan. From her globetrotting upbringing to her time as a brewer, as well as touching upon her new endeavors and her advice for those getting started with the category, it’s a fun, lighthearted and motivating discussion that highlights how the passion for sake is getting passed from generation to generation.   In the latter half of the episode we have Justin Potts being interviewed by Sebastien Lemoine. (You can listen to the reverse of this back on Episode 27). From fermentation to farming, brewing to educating, local food to the role of family in the future of sake, and advocacy for the necessity of kanzake, the conversation takes many turns and (hopefully) rewards the listener willing to accompany Justin in his adventures and ramblings. We would be grateful if you could take a moment to review and rate us on Apple Podcasts, and feel free to send your questions and comments to questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, or to @sakeonair on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can find us on YouTube as well. We’ve got a lot coming down the pipeline in March. Stay tuned and 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.

This week we zone in on sake in the U.K. as we welcome the founder and owner of Tengu Sake, Oliver Hilton Johnson to the show. Oliver’s carefully curated portfolio and user-friendly communication are just a handful of the reasons that Tengu Sake has been selected as the Specialist Merchant of the Year in the Sake category for the International Wine Challenge four years running. From Oliver’s first forays into the sake business to the exciting developments happening throughout the sake industry in London, Chris Hughes, Marie Nagata and Justin Potts fill the tokkuri and dig into the nitty-gritty with one of the country’s young pioneers of kampai. Please review and rate us on Apple Podcasts, and send your questions and comments to questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, or @sakeonair on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. We’re on YouTube as well. More Sake On Air coming your way in two weeks. 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.

This week it’s time once again to take a moment to get to know the team here at Sake On Air. We first aired one of these episodes back in October (Episode 27), where you got to know Sebastie Lemoine and Christopher Pellegrini; aka, “little Chris”. This week you’ll be hearing from Christopher’s sake-inspired counterpart, Chris Hughes (aka, “big Chris”) along with our quiet champion behind the scenes, Shuso Imada. Despite his relatively short amount of time based in Japan, Chris’s personal and professional history with sake extends back to the days when he still called the U.K. home, which has led him to now becoming one of the most active and prolific non-Japanese sake educators in Japan. In his endless pursuit of truth, as well as new questions in the world of sake, his passion and dedication are both palpable and highly contagious. Currently the general manager of the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center (where we broadcast from almost exclusively), Imada-san’s ties to the sake industry reach deep, and are long and storied. From his family ties to world-renowned breweries in Hiroshima to deeply rooted sake distributors in Tokyo, then extending to his own private ventures in sake-centric marketing and brand development, Imada-san has arguably one of the broadest perspectives on the industry out of anyone, along with the experience to match. In his interview, Rebekah takes him down a journey of his own personal past, but also explores the major turning points of the industry and its evolution over the past several decades. We let this one run a bit long, because it we thought it was all important. As always, if you’re willing to take a moment to review and rate us on Apple Podcasts (or whatever service you listen on) it would mean the world to us. We also welcome all of your questions and comments about the show, which you can send to questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, or track us down at @sakeonair on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also listen on our official  YouTube channel, if that’s your thing. Time stamps: Chris Hughes interview 01:46 Start of the interview 05:12 Chris discovers sake for the first time 10:50 Working in sake 26:15 Comics and sake Shuso Imada interview 33:44 Start of the interview 37:36 About the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association 43:30 Sake in the 1960s and 1970s 50:30 Why Imada-san’s English is so good 59:40 What does the Sake world mean to Imada-san now? We’ll be back in two weeks. 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.

What exactly is the scent of sake? For our final episode of 2019, Chris Hughes, Rebekah Wilson-Lye, and Sebastie Lemoine gather to discuss the nature and role of aroma in sake. Seeing as how the smells that we experience impart so much influence on our perception of taste and our associated memories, this is a topic that arguably carries as much weight as any in the dialogue of sake. From personal experiences to systematic judging, a bit of the science of sake to the evolution of aroma in relation to production, this week’s discussion ventures far and wide in attempt to unravel the influence of smell on our perception of sake. That being said, we’ve still only scratched the surface. There exists a plethora of angles we’ve still yet to explore, which means that you can be sure we’ll be back to expand upon this particular topic again in the future. In what turned out to be a rather discussion-heavy episode, there are a lot of tasty tidbits interwoven throughout the show from beginning up until the very end. Engaged listening is highly encouraged this week! In addition, we also need to express a special ‘Thanks’ to all of our listeners that have supported us throughout our first year of Sake On Air, having seen us all the way through to the end of 2019. Thanks to all of your excitement and support for the show, every month our listener base grows in countries spanning the globe, resulting in more opportunities to share the wonderful world of sake and shochu with a passionate and sake-curious population. We have a lot planned for 2020. We can’t wait to bring you along for the ride. If you feel like Sake On Air contributed just a little something to your enjoyment of sake and shochu this past year, please do take a moment to review and rate us on Apple Podcasts (or whatever service you listen on). If you feel like giving back to the Sake On Air team in some way, that’s unquestionably the best way to do it. Keep sending us your questions and comments about the show to questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, and be sure to continue following us at @sakeonair on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also listen on our official  YouTube channel. Happy New Year everyone! Thank you so much for your patience as we worked out what went wrong with the audio of the first version of this episode. 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.

We’ve been doing this for an entire year (and then some) already! To commemorate we decided to get the entire cast together (minus John, sadly, who was fully there in spirit) to talk about the nature of the show itself, as well as address a few audience and listener questions, in front of a small live audience in Tokyo back on November 25th.  The format this week is a bit unique, as the show was designed to be an enjoyable listen, but also to speak directly to a live audience. For those that would appreciate a small taste of the live experience, we livestreamed the show on our Facebook page. The audio quality is definitely going to be better via the podcast, but if a bit of visual context will help you get the most out of the show and attach names to faces, please do have a look at the livestream video, as well. Since starting Sake On Air just over a year ago the show has now grown to have listeners in more than 50 countries across the globe and is downloaded thousands of times every month. Hitting the ground running with almost zero promotion or prep time back in October of 2018, we charged forward with excitement and confidence that there was both a strong need and interest for an open and readily available place to share a new kind of dialogue about the fascinating and ever-changing nature of sake, shochu and awamori. Thanks to all of our listeners and supporters that have followed along and championed us over the past year, you’ve proven us right. We can’t thank you enough. Knowing that most of our listeners are scattered across the globe and not having the opportunity to engage face-to-face with our supporters can be a challenge at times, as sending data out into the digital void every other week can feel much less tangible, both for us, and we imagine for many of our listeners as well. Being able to speak in front of a live group of supporters, while also having listeners send in questions and words of encouragement throughout the broadcast, was incredibly rewarding. We’d love to hear your thoughts about this week’s format. Having tried this, we feel like there’s potential to continue to explore this style of show and further engage with our audience both locally and digitally in more new and direct ways. We’d love to travel for shows as well! While it may not happen right away, if there’s interest, we’d love to find a way to make a tour of some sort happen…! But for now, this week you can settle in with Sebastie Lemoine, Rebekah Wilson-Lye, Christopher Pellegrini, Marie Nagata, Chris Hughes and Justin Potts for a small celebration of all things sake, shochu and awamori, here in Tokyo. Last but not least, after listening to this week’s show, if you could take just a moment to leave a review for us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast streaming service it would mean a great deal to us and help more than you know. Info and instructions about how to do this can be found here. Stitcher users can leave reviews directly in-browser here. While you’re listening, you can further keep tabs on us through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and our  YouTube channel. Any and all questions and comments are welcome via questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, or directly through our contact page. We’ve got one more episode of Sake On Air on the way this month before we close out 2019. Thanks again everyone. 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.

It was right around this very same time last year that we sat down with a whole slew of splendid bartenders and mixologists to discuss shochu following their tour across Kyushu. This week, we’ve done it again! Only this time instead of trying to squeeze a large group into a single episode, we pulled aside a single specialist – the one-and-only Philip Duff – to explore shochu in the context of the greater spirits landscape. Philip has a long and storied history in the world of bartending, cocktails and shaping the future of spirits. From opening Holland’s first speakeasy, Door 74, to serving as the educational director for Tales of the Cocktail, writing for many of the industry’s most respected media, judging for many of the industry’s largest bar and cocktail awards, and circling the globe as one of the most prolific educators and consultants in the world of spirits, Philip is now concentrating his efforts on his original genever label, Old Duff Genever, and further developing his on-trade consultancy at Liquid Solutions. While shochu does indeed dominate the conversation, given Philip’s unique experience and perspective on the industry, Sebastien and Justin also pick his brain about the rise of Japanese gin, the world’s misconceptions of genever, how Japan might be able to learn from the U.S. tequila industry, and more! After listening to this week’s show, please do take a moment to leave us a review for us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast streaming service. It really helps! While you’re listening, you can further keep tabs on us through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and our  YouTube channel. Any and all questions and comments are welcome via questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, or directly through our contact page. We’ll be back in a couple more weeks for just a bit more Sake On Air before we close out 2019. Stay tuned, and 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.

Sake On Air has taken the show on the road! Well, sort of. The gang isn’t all here, but Justin recently spent a bit of time in the Pacific Northwest and along the way managed to sit down with a few of the individuals helping to shape the future of sake in the region. While in Portland Oregon for the annual Portland Fermentation Festival Justin sat down with sake samurai and vice president of the sake category for Young’s Market Company, Marcus Pakiser, together with SakeOne sales and marketing manager, Midori Nakazawa. Portland is a city gathering the attention of the world for its approach to sustainable development, with it now regularly ranked as one of the best cities to live in the U.S. But what does Portland look like as a “sake city?” Does the local populace’s relatively high level of awareness in relation to food and beverage, as well as preference for “local” as well as “natural” (a word to tackle another day!) give it the potential to develop a unique local sake market that sets it apart from other major cities across North America? Its these topics and more that we delve into in this week’s episode of Sake On Air! A quick caveat about this week’s episode before listening: This was our first-time recording “on the road.” To make a long story short, our recording tools and methods for this (and a couple more upcoming shows that were recorded in the U.S.) were highly makeshift. As a result, the recording quality and volume has suffered a bit, but we hope that you’ll stick with us and that we were able to make up for it with some fun and insightful content. Let us know what you thought of this week’s show (and the show in general) by leaving a review for us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast streaming service. You can follow along with our adventures on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and our  YouTube channel. Send your thoughts and feedback to as at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, or via the contact page on our brand new website. Thanks for listening. 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.

Over the past year of doing Sake On Air, believe it or not, one of the most highly requested show topics that we get from our listeners has been for us to do a deep-dive exploring the backgrounds and stories of your regular hosts here on the show. Originally a bit hesitant – the entire purpose of the show is to provide a voice to those in and around the industry that are underrepresented – we realized that we’ve been doing this for quite a while now without ever properly communicating to our listeners exactly who is involved and their motivations behind, not only Sake On Air, but their involvement in the world of sake. So with that, we bring you Part 1 of our “Know Your Hosts” series. Each episode will include in-depth interviews with two of your regular Sake On Air hosts. Over four episodes to be released intermittently over the coming months, you’ll have the chance to learn a bit more about the people that came together in order to make Sake On Air possible. For Part 1, we hear from the show’s shochu ambassador, Christopher Pellegrini, as well as our deep culture guru and resident Frenchman, Sebastien Lemoine. Now that we’ve gone through the process of recording all of these, we’re actually really excited to finally share the stories of the people behind the microphones with all of our listeners. If you have any questions for this week’s hosts (and interviewees!), feel free to reach out to us at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, or via the contact page on our brand new website. If you could take a moment to leave a review for us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast streaming service, it really does wonders for helping us to promote and grow the show. Also be sure to follow along with us on Instagram, Twiiter, and Facebook, and our  YouTube channel is finally in motion as well. Thanks for listening, and 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.

This week’s episode is especially timely, as Justin managed to squeeze in an interview with Stephen Lyaman to coincide with the launch of his brand new book, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, co-authored together with Chris Bunting, author of Drinking Japan, which released October 1st in the U.S. and is already largely available internationally thanks to Tuttle Publishing. Those familiar with Stephen’s work may associate mostly with Japan’s beloved indigenous spirit, shochu. Sake On Air’s shochu aficionado, Christopher Pellegrini sat down for an extensive interview with Stephen back in Episode 14. Giving that show a listen first will be a great primer for this week’s discussion. This week’s show is a lot of fun because we delve into a great deal more than just sake and shochu. A rarity for the show, Stephen’s new book gave us a great opportunity to discuss Japanese wine, whiskey, beer, cocktails, and how all of these things play into the greater landscape of ‘drinking in Japan.’ Stephen is currently on the road promoting his new book, so be sure to listen in for upcoming tour dates, as well as follow him on Twitter and Instagram in order to keep tabs on the Kyushu-based founder of Kampai.us and East Coast instructor for the Sake School of America Certified Shochu Advisor Course, and hopefully thank him in-person for his great contribution with The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks. We’d love your thoughts and feedback on this week’s episode. Let us know what excites you about shochu at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp You can always follow us on Instagram, Twiiter, and Facebook, and if you’re so inclined, our YouTube channel is finally just about up-to-date as well, for those that prefer plenty of video-distractions just one click away. Also, reviews are great. If you have a moment, please do share a few kind words. It helps the show like you wouldn’t believe. Thanks for listening, and 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.