Summer in Japan is hot! Too hot some might say. To help beat the heat, nihonshu producers sell a variety of sake called natsuzake or “summer sake.” But what is natsuzake really? It has no legal definition and no established taste or serving guidelines.

Miho Ohta and John Gauntner have a conversation about the recent trends in natsuzake until  Frank Walter joins the fray to talk about natsuzake flavors and the trend towards sour flavors and low alcohol in sake.

While the jury is still out on whether natsuzake will become a consistent kind of sake, the answer is clear that sake is totally a summer drink, even (according to Miho) when warmed.

Tell us your thoughts and feelings about natsuzake at @sakeonair on Instagram and Facebook, or send us a message with your thoughts and experiences to [email protected]. 

We’ll be back with more Sake On Air before you know it.

Until then, kampai!

This episode has been made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association. Sake on Air was created by Potts-K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our team is Justin Potts, Miho Ota, Cindy Bissig, Sebastien Lemoine, John Gauntner, Chris Hughes, Rebekah Wilson-Lye, Marie Nagata, Christopher Pelegrini, Arline Lyons, Shuso Imada, and Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.