A flavorsome full-bodied tribute to a Japanese citizen of the world Japanese sake was originally a pure beverage made entirely from rice and water. This changed with the rice shortage following World War II and led to the emergence of imitation brews, called sanzoshu, which … [Read more...]

　 　 A Junmai Daiginjo for Casual Enjoyment The Miyasaka brewery has been making sake since 1662, and celebrated its 350th anniversary this April. The brewery is situated in the rich natural environment of Suwa in Nagano prefecture, and is known throughout Japan and overseas as the … [Read more...]

　 　 Sake suffused with the vitality of its youthful brewers Continuing on from last month we introduce Hoka, another label from the highly esteemed Toshimaya brewery. The main Toshimaya brand used to be Miwatari, but in recent years the brewery has introduced the limited release … [Read more...]

　 　 High Quality Sake With a Regal Style Perhaps you’ve heard of o-miwatari (the god's crossing) before? Occasionally it is mentioned on the news during the winter months. O-miwatari is the word used to describe a serrated pressure- ridge crack that runs across the frozen … [Read more...]

　 Shoko Aizawa’s first junmai ginjo as a master brewer won the Tochigi Governor’s Prize. 　 Spirited Sake from a Female Master Brewer Women won’t be held back anymore. Today terms such as “grass-eaters” and “ornamental plant” are being used … [Read more...]

　 　 A Striking Gentle onsistency Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture. Hirakou Brewery stands proud and dignified amid the wreckage of this town, which was devastated by the Great Eastern Earthquake and tsunami. On the day of my visit, a constant rumble of heavy machinery in the back … [Read more...]

　 　 A Taste of the Clear Blue Sky My first encounter with this sake was at Ryosen, a Kyoto izakaya which, unusually for a Kyoto pub, serves sake in wineglasses. When I ordered “a local sake,” they served me Soku. The bottle design was love at first sight, and after tasting the … [Read more...]

　 Taking Time to Brew a Sake for True Appreciation Shocking. Perhaps an incongruous word to describe an elegant taste, but that was my initial impression when I took my first sip of this sake. At the time I was paying a visit to Asahi Shuzo, a small brewery nestled against the side of a … [Read more...]

　 　 Pure Love Brew : A Sake that Moves the Heart Mention driven young brewers to me, and the first person that springs to my mind is Yoshihiro Miyamori of the famous Miyaizumi Brewery. Always moving with the times and taking on new challenges, the sake he brews … [Read more...]

　 The Sake that Completely Changed My Image of Echigo Sake I still can’t forget the shock of my first encounter with Kakurei. Niigata sake is predominantly a crisp, dry, light style of sake that flows like water over the palate. But Kakurei was different. Instead of flowing like water, a … [Read more...]