This is the second episode our “Sake 101” mini-series! In our first episode we covered the most basic question “What is Sake?” and we hoped that this would help people new to the beverage get a basic understanding of what sake is, what it is not and also give a few hints on how sake tastes and of course how it is made.

So, in this episode, we continue our journey into the world of sake, diving deeper into the fascinating process of how it’s made. Once again, the wonderful Arline Lyons joins Cindy Bissig to talk about the sake-making process, but also give you an idea of what sake breweries are actually like. They touch on the brewery life cycle, which is very different from what you might expect, especially compared to other beverages like beer or wine. Before taking you step by step through the brewing process and finally, take a look at how sake brewing has evolved over time and how some of these traditional methods are making a comeback today.

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.

Until then, 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

This week we kick off a brand-new mini-series in which we go back to the basics and focus on questions we all had at the start of our sake journey. Questions that may sound simple but may not be as easy to answer as they seem. Welcome to our “Sake 101’s”!

Our host will take turns answering questions to topics including “What is sake?”, “Understanding premium sake” or “Hot sake vs cold sake”. So if you are new to the world of Japanese sake, these episodes are for you! We also think that if you already have some knowledge of sake you may still find some nugget or two that might surprise you.

In this first episode, Cindy Bissig and Arline Lyons start (where else would they?) at the very beginning: “What is sake?”

From the term “sake” and what it means, to what sake is, and also what sake is not (!). Of course, they chat about the diversity of the beverage and how it compares to other beverages like wine and beer. Also, you get a chance to learn about some common misconceptions. They talk about what sake tastes like at the end.

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.

Until then, 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

There is a new sake book on the market: SAKE: The Art and Craft of Japan’s National Drink written by no other Yoshiko UENO-Müller, founder of Ueno Gourmet, Sake Samurai, and acclaimed Sake Educator (among her many other titles).

Join hosts Cindy Bissig and Frank Walter as they chat with Yoshiko-san and delve into what inspired her to write her second book, her passion for sake, and what brought her into the fascinating world of sake in the first place. 

Not a “coffee table book” but a “sake table book”, it is not just for sake lovers, but will also appeal to Japan fans, and gourmets alike providing a unique perspective into the world of Japanese sake and the communities surrounding it. Overflowing with beautiful imagery, it’s as much a visual treat as it is an informative read.

We’ll chat about what makes this book so special as we dive into the 3 parts of it. In Part 1 – Origins, we discover the history and cultural roots of sake. In Part 2 – we learn how Japan’s unique landscapes and sake artisans shape this craft, and in Part 3 – Yoshiko-san takes us on a journey to explore sake’s role in gastronomy.

So whether you’re a sake connoisseur or a curious beginner, this episode is the perfect guide to deepen your appreciation for Japan’s national drink.

For anyone curious about Yoshiko UENO-Müller and her company Ueno Gourmet, make sure to check out her Instagram, as well as her online shop here. And if you like to get a copy of the book, check out your nearest bookstore, or even better, head over to Amazon to get your copy shipped directly to your doorstep!

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.

Until then, 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

A few weeks ago we celebrated the exciting news of “Traditional Sake Brewing with Koji” being listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (if you missed it you can find out more here) and in this episode, we decided to dive deeper into the world of koji as we had the immense pleasure of interviewing Higuchi Koichi, owner of Higuchi Matsunosuke Shoten Co., Ltd. and one of the experts in koji starter manufacturing in Japan!

So join us as our regular hosts Rebekah Wilson-Lye, John Gauntner, and Arline Lyons sit down at our base, the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center with Higuchi Koichi to dive into the fascinating world of koji—the mold at the heart of Japanese fermentation culture. 

Learn more about what koji is, as Higuchi breaks down the different types of koji (yellow, white, black) and their unique roles in sake brewing, miso, shoyu, and other fermented foods. 
He also shares his journey into the koji industry and a behind-the-scenes look at the production process, the types of koji his company produces, and some of his ongoing projects in the world of fermentation. Although many of them are rather secret, he was able to share some details about a recent collaboration with Kewpie (possibly the best-selling Japanese brand of mayonnaise in Japan) and how he is creating “egg koji” for them on a quest to bring more umami to their products…

For anyone curious about Koichi Higuchi and his company Higuchi Matsunosuke Shoten Co., Ltd., you can find more information here and if you would love to learn more about Koji and how it is used in Sake brewing check out our “Episode-23: Koji Basics” to get started.

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.

Until then, 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Earlier this week the sake industry received some amazing news: “traditional sake brewing” was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. However, the term is rather vague on its own. So for this episode of Sake on Air, our hosts Arline Lyons and Frank Walter set out to clarify what “traditional sake brewing” means, the potential benefits of the listing, and what it might mean for the future.

Arline and Cindy went to a celebration event in Itami and got to talk with sake brewers, shochu distillers, mirin producers, and a wide range of other people and organizations (including an many people from the Japanese press). Arline collected statements from sake brewers both in Japan and overseas, Koji spore makers and other industry professionals to hear what they think the listing means. Everyone is excited by this international recognition and proud that the skills involved in sake-making are now valued as highly as washoku, traditional Japanese food culture, which received the same recognition in 2014.

This is just the beginning and many people in the sake and shochu industry plan to use the UNESCO listing to promote koji, nihonshu, shochu, awamori, mirin and the skills needed to produce them both in Japan and overseas.

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.
Until then, 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Japanese sake is made from water, rice, and koji. There are many specific rice varieties cultivated for brewing sake, all of which are lumped together as sakamai (酒米). Some are more prominent than others and one in particular has gotten itself a bit of a cult following. You may refer to it as the OG or grandfather of sakamai and of course, we are referring to Omachi (雄町)!

One of the oldest rice varieties dating back to 1859, Omachi was first grown in the town of Omachi in Okayama Prefecture. It is praised for adding rich and complex flavors to sake but is notoriously difficult to grow. Cultivation dwindled as farmers turned to easier to grow varieties until it was almost lost. However, it was brought back from the brink of extinction by dedicated and passionate brewers and the rest is history. 

It is impossible to think about Japan’s sake landscape without sake made from Omachi rice and “Omachists” (as fans endearingly call themselves) celebrate their favorite sake online with dedicated hashtags, while farmers and brewers from Okayama organize an amazing event – the Omachi Summit every year to help people fall in love with it.

So join Cindy Bissig and Arline Lyons as they welcome Giulia Maglio, a sake educator and kurabito to dive into the world of Omachi and share their knowledge and experience. Learn more about the basic facts and history of Omachi rice, reasons why it might be so popular, and how to promote it, as well as get a unique perspective as Giulia shares a bit of what it is like working with Omachi in the Koji room…

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.
Until then, 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

In our latest Podcast Cindy Bissig and Frank Walter had the pleasure to welcome no other than Singapore’s first Sake Samurai – Adrian Goh, the director and chief educator at Inter Rice Asia, IWC judge and organizer of one of Singapore’s biggest Sake Matsuris!

For anyone unfamiliar with what a Sake Samurai is or how to become one, it is a prestigious title bestowed by the Japan Sake Brewing Young People’s Council, an organization of young brewers from all over Japan, every year since its conception in 2005. Only 3-5 people are given this title each year, which is a huge honor to receive. Although as Adrian put it, it is also a responsibility pledging to keep promoting sake and the people and communities surrounding it.

Since starting his career in nihonshu in 2013, Adrian has been incredibly busy. In the last 11 years, he has visited more than 130 sake breweries in 35 prefectures, changed the structure of his business in the face of adversity during the pandemic, and has been able to introduce sake (and other beverages) in a fun yet educational way to many Singaporeans and beyond the countries borders. He also became a recent graduate of the JSS Shochu Academy. This is bringing good news as we may see more Shochu coming to Singapore.

But with all this focus on business, we also learn about the importance of his family and their unconditional support. As well as how he purposefully is trying to recreate the same spirit in his company, and we might say he is doing a very good job at it.

Transcripts of new episodes can now be found at our substack! https://sakeonair.substack.com/ (sometimes there is a few days delay)

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.
Until then, kapai!

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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Sebastien Lemoine, Chris Hughes, and Miho Ota sit down with Sam Boulton, author, mixologist and drinks consultant to talk about his new book, “The Art of Mixing Koji Cocktails.” Sam is based in Birmingham, and is one of handful of experts on Japanese booze in the UK. He was a participant in this year’s Advanced Shochu Academy in Kagoshima, and then spent almost a month visiting distilleries and breweries around the country after the program ended. He has also started a podcast “The Izakaya Happy Hour” and has written a book on vermouth. You can find out more about him at his website: www.kokushu.info or his instagram (@boultononbooze).

Sam came and made two cocktails from Japanese ingredients for the team and then talked about the sake and shochu scene in the UK and some of the positives and negatives to the slow but steady growth in popularity of shochu as a cocktail ingredient. The conversation also dives into how bartenders can incorporate a Japanese spirit into their standard line up without going overboard or spending too much.

Transcripts of new episodes can now be found at our substack! https://sakeonair.substack.com/ (sometimes there is a few days delay)

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.
Until then, 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Many people will be familiar with the word GI (Geographical Indication), especially if they are familiar with wine. Famous GIs are known around the world like Champagne or Prosciutto. But what about sake? Does sake need a GI system? What does a GI actually mean? Where do we find these regions in Japan and does GI make any sense in the sake world?

Our regular hosts, Chris Hughes and John Gauntner unravel this somewhat controversial topic with Ken Takehisa, the CEO of Sake Edge and Monten. Ken is an expert on the topic and has closely worked with the National Tax Office of Japan, to actively seek out, create, and introduce new GIs around Japan.

The conversation focuses on the definition of GI, the advantages and disadvantages of GI, and challenges applying GI to the sake industry. We also tried to get a better understanding about how sake GIs are created. He spoke about not only the necessary paperwork, but also the consensus building (or not building) process that is required to create a new GI for a region or prefecture.

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.

Until then, 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

As sake continues to gain popularity around the world, shochu is next in line. In August 2024, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) held its inaugural week-long Advanced Shochu Academy in Kagoshima. The event was designed to educate professionals in the global beverage industry about shochu.

The 12 participants came from diverse backgrounds—educators, importers, and consultants from seven different countries. Miho Ota seized the opportunity to interview them, gaining insights into shochu’s presence in their respective countries and exploring what draws them to the spirit. She organized three impromptu sessions focused on the European, Asian, and Brazilian markets, highlighting both the similarities and differences within and across these regions.

One small note: As we we recorded this on the fly, the recording quality was less than ideal. But the conversations provided valuable insights into shochu’s current standing and potential for promotion in global markets, so we hope you will give it a listen. We deeply appreciate the participants’ time and expertise, especially after their long days of intensive lectures.

Thanks to:

Adrian Goh (Singapore)
IG: @apgoh / @Interriceasia 
Facebook: Adrian Goh
Website: www.theartofsake.com

Chris Yang (Taiwan)
Instagram: @hockeybabytw
Facebook: Chris Yang
Company website: www.kurisake.com

Ding Liu (China)
Instagram: @dingliu91
Xiaohongshu: Fish swimming in wine (account number 1055966437)

Elvira Aldaz (Spain)
Instagram: @maldaz
Facebook: Elvira Aldaz Mezcua
Linkedin: @elviraaldaz

Fabio Ota (Brazil)
Instagram and Facebook: @megasake
Online shop: www.megasake.com.br

Fall Huang (China/Malaysia)
Instagram: @fall.huang
Facebook: Fall Huang

Francesco Braun (UK/Italy)
Instagram: @just_imbiber
Facebook: Francesco Braun

Sam Boulton (UK)
Instagram: @boultononbooze
Website: www.kokushu.info

Sean Ou (Singapore)
Instagram and Facebook: @thebeverageclique
LinkedIn: @the-beverage-clique
YouTube: @thebeveragecliquetv782
Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vtPuXog1hsfRIzpi6IPI5?si=af256f4a07094b55
Academy Website: https://thebeverageclique.com/

Tony Yip (France)
Instagram: @food_drinks_culture
Facebook: @TonyMTYip

As always, if you have questions or comments please do share them with us at [email protected] or head over to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook we would love to hear from you!

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air.

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.

For more information about the Honkaku Shochu & Awamori EXPERIENCE: www.jfn.co.jp/lp/experience2024/ (Japanese Only)