Sake On Air

This week Chris Hughes takes the reigns as we set our sights on what feels to be an ever-moving target: the complex relationship between sake and food. While experience with wine and other beverages informs many expectations for sake, and a lot of concepts are somewhat transferrable, the reality is that sake is its own beast entirely. Many people in Japan, as well as internationally, have been doing exceptional work to further the craft, understanding and communication surrounding this relationship, but the exciting reality is that there still exist nearly infinite avenues to be explored.   We’re joined again this week by local WSET Sake Educator and Japan brand manager for CAMUS Cognac, Sarasa Suzuki, as well as regular crew members Sebastien Lemoine and Justin Potts, as we dig a bit into the historical relationships between food and sake in Japan, while examining a number of angles for further developing and understanding this match-made-in-heaven.   Even in the short window of time between when we recorded this episode and its release, there have already been a number of thrilling publications released (in Japanese) pushing this concept into new territories. This is a trend that isn’t going to stop anytime soon, and if anything, the pace at which new research and discoveries surface is going to continue to increase. At the same time, drinking and dining trends associated with sake and new service-related strategies are continuing to rapidly develop and evolve. For a lot of the concepts that we touch upon in this episode we hover around the conceptual level. We’ll tackle a lot of these topics in more detail in upcoming episodes. For now, consider this a basic primer on the topic, as there’s a lot more on the way.   As always, if you have any questions or comments regarding this week’s episode please feel free to reach out to us (and follow along) on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter at @sakeonair. If you could find time to leave a review and a brief comment on your favorite listening service it helps us more than you know. Sake On Air is brought to you with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan, with editing and audio production handled by Mr. Frank Walter.   We’ll be back again in two weeks.   Until then, Kampai!   Our theme is “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

We’re back this week with a boozy double-interview featuring one shochu meister and one sake maven. In the first half of this week’s episode of Sake on Air, Christopher Pellegrini interviews Maya Aley, the first non-Japanese to receive the prestigious certification of Shochu Meister. Maya has been living and working in Kagoshima city since 2011. Starting as an English teacher before shifting to translation, interpretation, and local business development, she talks to us about the Kagoshima University Shochu Meister course, Kagoshima’s special place in the shochu world, and one of the city’s most famous shochu bars, Ishizue, where you can now find her regularly behind the bar. You can also find her on Instagram @maya.aley. For the second-half, Justin joins Christopher Pellegrini to speak with special guest Jamie Graves, the Japanese beverage portfolio manager for Skurnik Wines and Spirits in New York. After teaching English in the JET program for a year in 2002, Jamie found himself on the archipelago for an additional four more years where he worked various restaurant jobs, explored sake, and improved his Japanese until he was able to successfully pass the highest level of the Japanese language proficiency test. Upon returning to New York he slipped into the restaurant scene and wound up at the East Village shojin cuisine restaurant, Kaijitsu, run by head-chef Masato Nishihara. After cycling through the Japanese dining circuit, Jamie has now found a home at Skurnik, where he is responsible not only for sake, but shochu and all categories of Japanese spirits. Follow Jamie on his Instagram: @jamiefgraves, and we highly encourage our listeners to check out his insightful series of “Unfiltered” articles about sake and shochu on skurnik.com. We hope you enjoy this week’s episode of Sake On Air. If you have any feedback, comments or questions, we would love to hear from you. As we’re currently restructuring a few things on the back-end (details coming soon!), our regular email, questions@sakeonair.staba.jp, is out of commission temporarily, but you can reach out to us at any time on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks again for tuning in. Until next time, Kampai! Sake On Air is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center and made possible with the generous support of JSS (Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association) and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.

EP 15 – Live with Andre Bishop and William Stuart In March we did four shows, all recorded live at the Aoyama Sake Flea, and who should we bump into than the Sake Samurai, Andre Bishop, and William Stuart, the CEO of Colorado Sake Co.? We managed to grab a few minutes with them to sit and talk sake. The conversation wandered from America to Australia as we picked their brains on topics like sake legislation, drumming up interest outside of Japan, and the future of sake as a culture and industry. We have a lot more exciting content from the Aoyama Sake Flea coming very soon; so stay tuned for more Sake On Air. And if you’re a sake aficionado like us and have the perfect topic for an episode -or just want to let us know how much you love the podcast- share your thoughts with us at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp. Your feedback does wonders to support the show, so if you love SOA and want to see it grow, consider tipping your glass to us online with a review. Sake On Air is regularly broadcasted from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center and made possible by the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association. It is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.   Kampai!

Sake is out this week and Shochu is in! Christopher Pellegrini takes the hotseat to interview his partner in crime, Stephen Lyman.   Stephen Lyman is the founder of Kampai.us and the East Coast instructor for the Sake School of America Certified Shochu Advisor Course. Currently based in Fukuoka city on the island of Kyushu, Stephen now splits his time between Kyushu and New York. Every season for the past 6 years he has been helping Yamatozakura Distillery with their shochu production. He and Chirstopher have gone into business together to open Yokaban, a new shochu bar in Fukuoka, and Stephen is also finishing up with his first book, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, which he co-authored together with Chris Bunting, author of Drinking Japan.   02:25 Stephen’s journey to Japan 04:40 Meeting shochu in NYC 07:00 Starting Kampi.us 08:30 Shochu Tasting Competition 10:53 Meeting Sekai Ishizuka and traveling to Japan together 13:30 Meeting Takkan Wakamatsu 15:02 Interning with Yamatozakura 17:40 The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks 23:10 The Certified Shochu Advisor Course 30:15 How Stephen and Chris met 35:00 Chris and Stephen’s Shochu Bar (Yokaban NY) 38:00 Drinking Games 39:40 Looking toward the future 46:10 Drinking Shochu and Awamori at home 49:45 Challenges selling Shochu abroad 56:40 Shochu as an artisanal Spirit 58:58 Final remarks   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, if you’re so inclined. And while it has been rather quiet for a long time now, expect updates to our YouTube channel very soon. 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.   A big thanks to Frank for another great production this week. The Export Japan team is helping us with a few other show-related things at the moment, as well. We’ll have more to share here very soon. Thanks for listening!   Sake On Air is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center and made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan. Our theme is “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

We’ve been telling you that it was coming (since last autumn!) and this week we finally delivered. We’re joined this week by none other than Natsuki Kikuya, founder of Museum of Sake, one of London’s foremost curators of the local sake industry. Why a “curator of sake”? The depth and breadth of Natsuki’s work and relationship with sake is difficult to categorize into a preexisting job description. As someone shaping the landscape of the current (and as a result, also future) sake market in London, her self-imposed title feels more than apt. Also, for those paying attention to last week’s episode, you know that Masumi’s Keith Norum was present for a good chunk of Natsuki’s interview, which means that he’s back! Together with Sebastien and Justin, the four discuss challenges in sake education and communication, international market expansion, sake discoveries in Japan, and more. We were incredibly lucky to get these two stellar individuals in the studio. You’re all rather lucky this week, as we deliver back-to-back episodes two weeks in a row once again! (Don’t get used to it quite yet, however…) We’d love your thoughts and feedback. Feel free to mail us at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp Please also follow us on Instagram, Twiiter, and Facebook, if you’re so inclined. (That’s us asking nicely). And while it has been more than a little quiet for a long time now, expect updates to our YouTube channel sooner than later! 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. Big thanks to Frank for churning out another great recording this week. The Export Japan team is helping us with a few other show-related things at the moment, as well. We’ll have more to share here very soon. We’ll be back for a big “kampai” here again in two weeks. Until then, for those in Tokyo, be sure to swing by Aoyama Sake Flea on March 30-31 at the United Nations University in Omotesando and say ‘hello’. We’ll be hanging out and doing interviews and recordings all weekend! Thanks for listening! Sake On Air is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center and made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan. Our theme is “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

This week’s show title tells you all you need to know. For those of you unacquainted with Masumi Sake, the brilliant Nagano-based craft of Miyasaka Brewing Company, you’ve come to the right place.   And there’s no one better equipped to deliver the goods on this topic than Keith Norum, a name synonymous with Masumi internationally. A long-time Suwa local and Miyasaka Brewing Company veteran, Keith is experienced, eloquent, and arguably one of the best in the business when it comes to communicating the appeal of sake, whether it be for newcomers, or the thoroughly initiated.   Justin more-or-less takes the reins for this interview, however Sebastien is in on the game this week, as well. We actually had another special guest sitting in for part of this one. While silent for this round, she’ll be sharing her wisdom in an upcoming episode very soon. Stay tuned!   For those that missed it, heir to the throne at Masumi, Katsuhiko Miyasaka, made a brief appearance on one of our past episodes recorded at Aoyama Sake Flea. We recommend giving that a listen, if you haven’t done so already.   And in more exciting news, we’ll be back at Aoyama Sake Flea right in the midst of sakura (cherry blossom) season! We’ll be doing a few more shows on March 30th-31st, so if anyone is in the area, please be sure to stop by for a “kampai”! You can look forward to those episodes very soon.   Any questions, comments, or words of encouragement are always welcome at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp.   Please do follow along with our adventures via @sakeonair on all of your favorite people-watching services.   Until next round, Kampai!   Sake On Air is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center and made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.   Our theme is “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

We decided that it was about time we sat down and hashed it out over something that is becoming an increasingly divisive topic in the sake world: to aruten or not to aruten? That is the question that John, little Chris, big Chris, and Justin pose to one another, as well as our listeners, in this week’s surprise release of Sake On Air. For those unfamiliar with the concept, both junmai and aruten likely appear to be nothing more than drunken gibberish. However, to anyone trying to discern what’s inside (or rather, not inside) a bottle of sake, this is important vocabulary.   “Aruten” is Japanese industry slang for sake which has had what is often translated as “brewer’s alcohol”, which is added to sake in some (many!) cases. It can also refer to the related process of adding such alcohol to a bottle of sake. While by no means necessary in order to craft a delicious fermented rice beverage, motivations for adding this somewhat ambiguous alcohol can range from anything as simple cost-cutting, to calculated and crafted usage leading to extremely high-end, carefully nuanced sake production. As reasons for aruten’s existence and prevalence very much run the gamut of motivations, it’s challenging to shuffle it into any one specific camp, or explain it in simple terms of “good” vs. “evil”. Aruten sake would include daiginjo and ginjo (without the word “junmai” attached), as well as honjozo and futsu-shu styles.   “Junmai”, then, translated literally as, “pure rice”, is exactly what you might expect: sake that has not had any brewer’s alcohol added in any form, or in other words, has not received the “aruten treatment”. Originally, any and all sake produced was junmai. However, times change, as do brewers’ ambitions and the market’s tastes and perceptions. There’s a rather significant “all junmai” push from both inside and outside the industry, as of late. The reasons for that, however, are actually more varied and complicated than you might think.   As regular consumers and extreme foodies alike increasingly (and rightfully) demand more transparency in relation to food and beverage, the industry is up against further pressure to openly communicate not only “what” is inside a bottle of sake, but also justify “why” it ought to be there in the first place.   In a world where views and opinions feel like they’re becoming increasingly polarized, we set out to do our best in order to give both junmai and aruten a fair shake, going to bat for both parties in (hopefully) equal form. In this episode, the goal isn’t to provide our listeners with “the answer”, but the information to help everyone make more informed decisions for themselves.   Are you in the “junmai camp”? The “aruten camp”? Or maybe just the plain old, “love for sake camp”? Hopefully this week we can help you to spread the sake love wherever it is your inspirations and preferences may guide you.   As always, thanks to both our dedicated followers and new listeners that make it all possible. If you’d like to leave us a kind review, our love for you will flourish all the more. We can’t begin to tell you how much that helps.   If you have any thoughts about the show, feedback, questions or show ideas, feel free to contact us at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp Please do follow along with us (@sakeonair) via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, as well. We try to send out some lovely photos and thoughtful words here and there in order to satiate those thirsty for more sake-related insight in between episode releases. A big thanks (as always) to the amazing Frank Walter for bringing us to life each and every round. Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.   Kampai!   Our theme is “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

What does it take to realize a dream of American craft sake? And even more specifically, Brooklyn craft sake?   This week Chris Hughes and Justin Potts catch up with Brian Polen, co-founder and president of Brooklyn Kura, New York’s first sake brewery, on his (relatively) recent trip to the sake island in the pacific.   Having officially opened to the public in 2018, the trail being blazed by Brian, along with co-founder and brewmaster, Brandon Doughan, is one that is already informing a future of international, locally-made craft sake as new breweries spring to life across the globe.   We dig into the origin story, as well as explore the excitement and challenges that go along with trying to, not only create and run a sake brewery, but communicate the infinite potential of sake to a world still largely unacquainted with the magical rice beverage.   We’re happy to finally get this interview out into the world, as we’ve actually been sitting on this one since the SOA early days. This week’s flow may be a bit more rough around the edges compared to our more recent offerings (we were still very much getting our feet wet at this point), but the stories and nuggets of insight that Brian shares are fascinating, and going to be relevant to sake lovers, the sake-curious, and those that may be looking to make new professional forays into the world of sake for years to come.   If in the area, be sure to pop into the tap room for a visit! Brooklyn Kura is located inside Industry City, at 68 34th Street, Brooklyn, NY.   Announcements! *We’ll be back at Aoyama Sake Flea at the Farmer’s Market at United Nations University in Aoyama (Tokyo) on March 30-31st. If anyone plans to be in the area, be sure to pop in and say hello! We’ll be doing several recordings both days and have some more exciting guests lined up for the Spring rendition of the bi-annual sake celebration! *You may notice a string of new episodes trickling out with more regularity than usual in the coming weeks. We actually have some content stocked up that we want to get out, and we’re working on some new developments, as well (details coming soon!) As we transition a bit you may notice a few more interviews or mini-episodes pop up here and there. We look forward to sharing more details on our new developments soon, but until then, enjoy!   As always, you can follow us on all of your preferred social media sources via @sakeonair. Please send your comments and feedback to questions@sakeonair.staba.jp.   The more reviews we get, the more we can spread the sake love! Please do take a moment to share your thoughts, if you’re so inclined.   Until next week, Kampai!   Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.

We’ve got a new twist on an old formula this week.   In the interest of fairness, after having done a Shochu 101 episode, we thought it only made sense to give Sake the same treatment.   However, unlike Shochu, the “basics” of sake have been well-treaded in many forms across books, videos, blogs, lectures and other media. It didn’t make sense for us to just rehash the same material that’s already readily available just about everywhere. While we want to provide our listeners with a solid foundation of the core principles surrounding Sake and Shochu, digging deeper in order to provide context and stimulate dialogue is why this show exists. So, we thought we’d mix it up a little.   John has been on the road a great deal as of late (as of always?) and we wanted to get him on air. When we talked about doing a Sake 101, it was something that he really wanted to be a part of. When he offered to provide a monologue outlining the fundamentals, we naturally said, Yoroshiku! This is a master in his wheelhouse – what more could we ask for?   With that, this week you get the core basics outlined by the best in the business. You want to scout out a tasty bottle of sake that you’ll be happy with today? We’ve got you covered.   But we wanted to do something for our listeners who already feel comfortable with the “basics”, providing a bit more food-for-thought. So, what we’ve done this week is break John’s brilliant monologue into segments, with the Sake On Air team jumping in at regular intervals to flesh out the details, ask deeper questions, and provide further context for why the various points that John has laid out are significant.   In addition to John Gauntner’s pre-recorded presence, three core members of the SOA crew, Chris Hughes, Sebastien Lemoine, and Justin Potts, are very lucky to be joined this week by Sarasa Suzuki, who is a WSET Sake Educator, as well as wine and spirits specialist here in Japan, also serving as the Japan brand manager for CAMUS Cognac. She was kind enough to put up with our shenanigans this week as she brings her experience and insight to the important topics that we delve into for this week’s show. Lucky us, and lucky you! (She’ll be making an appearance in a future episode to be released soon, as well!)   Our listeners may have a few thoughts and opinions about the content of this week’s episode. Great! Send those to us at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp   You can stay up-to-date on what’s happening with the show by following along on Instagram, Twitter (@sakeonair) and Facebook, as well.   If you can find a moment in your busy schedule,  a quick review on your favorite listening service would really mean a lot.   Thanks to Frank Walter for the time he put into making this one shine. It wasn’t an easy task.   Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.   Until our next outing, Kampai!   Show Notes: 6:07 What is Sake? 9:02 Sake and the Family of Brewed Beverages 10:30 Brewing Beer vs. Brewing Sake; Clarifying “Koji” 10:46 The History of Sake 22:02 What’s the fuss about Ginjo? 22:50 Good Sake and Better Sake 31:57 Relationship Between Price and Quality: Sake Rice 38:33 Relationship Between Price and Quality: Rice Milling & Special Designation Sake 45:13 The Blood, Sweat and Tears of Sake Brewing and the Tenuous Hierarchy System 48:02 Sake Service Temperature 51:52 Storing Sake and Aging Sake 56:18 Drinking Vessels 61:50 Sake and Food 65:25 John Gauntner’s “Basics for Enjoying Sake Today” (uncut from start to finish)

A bit of a small miracle, we managed to get the entire Sake On Air entourage in the same room at the same time. A first for the show, we have John, Sebastien, big Chris & little Chris, and Justin all together on the mic together this week!   In Japan, the sake and shochu industries are now just as turbulent and dynamic as any beverage category on the market. Since that action doesn’t always get communicated to the international sake-loving community, we thought we would sit down this week to reflect on the trends and impactful events that helped define sake in 2018.   Seeing as how we like to look ahead to sake and shochu’s unquestionably bright future, we also rounded up and shared our predictions for 2019. Some of those things are extensions of what we saw in 2018, however we could be in for some real surprises as well.   This week’s recording took place after a lengthy and energized team gathering where we plotted out our vision, goals and ambitions for the year ahead. The result is an episode of Sake On Air with an (awesome!) energy a bit different from everything that’s come before. Suffice it to say, we’re ecstatic about what the coming year has in store.   As far as we’re concerned, we’re still sending out the “beta” version of the show, but we’re on the verge of shifting into the next phase. We’ve got some big plans and exciting changes in store. They may not all be apparent at first, but we think you’ll pick up on it soon enough. We can’t wait to share more in the coming months.   As always, thanks to both our dedicated followers and new listeners that make it all possible. If you have any thoughts about the show, feel free to contact us at questions@sakeonair.staba.jp   Please do follow along with us (@sakeonair) on our day-to-day journeys via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, as well. We’re sharing glimpses into sake brewing, service, people, and the culture that binds it all together.   Taking a moment to write a quick review helps more than you know. If you’re so inclined, yoroshiku!   A big thanks (as always) to Frank Walter for the amazing turnaround on this one. We wanted to get this out into the world while the excitement was still resonating.   Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association and is a joint production between Potts.K Productions and Export Japan.   Kampai!   Our theme is “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.