Sake On Air

Arline Lyons never expected to be the go-to translator for sake related writings coming out of Japan, but remix Mr. Crichton, “sake finds a way.” Our American host in America, Justin Potts sat down with her to talk sake, translation, and some exciting news regarding the growth of Sake on Air. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, Arline holds the (WSET) Level 3 Award in Sake and is a SSI International Kikizake-shi, and a SEC Advanced Sake Professional. In their free flowing conversation, they also get into the sake industry in Europe and some of the differences in wine and sake education.Arline is the mastermind behind the sake focused newsletter (https://taste-translation.com/), sake workshops in Europe (https://discover-sake.com/), and a delightful series of t-shirts that can be found here: https://saketees.com/product-category/t-shirts/. She is also one of the go-to translators for the Brewing Society of Japan and for our dear friends at JSS. In her life away from sake, she is also a highly accomplished translator in the pharmaceutical and medical field.Annnnnd now she is joining the team here at Sake on Air! Arline will be writing a monthly post about sake for the Sake on Air website. You can find the first one here: https://wp.sakeonair.com/2023/09/13/is-wine-the-best-way-to-promote-sake/

Share your thoughts with us on Don’t hesitate to also reach out to us with sake or shochu-related thoughts or questions on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook or at [email protected]! Don’t forget to rate us on the podcast service of your choice or just write it on a sake label, we don’t care.

We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake on Air before you know it.

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. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew.

How do we effectively promote Japan’s indigenous beverages? That is the million-dollar question and something the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association are working on relentlessly every day. On the Shochu front, one way they are doing this is by collaborating with bartenders and mixologists from all around the world who have fallen in love with Shochu and Awamori and showcasing the fruits of these collaborations at special events.Recently, we were lucky to join one of these events, where we got front-row insights into the state of the industry as well as being treated to some delicious Shochu Cocktails by not other than Soran Nomura, renowned in the bartending community both in Japan and abroad, owner of Nomura Shoten, the Quarter Room in Tokyo, creator of beverage consultant firm “ABV+” among a long list of things.So in this week’s podcast, our regular hosts and Shochu enthusiasts Christopher Pellegrini and Marie Nagata sat down together with Soran to chat about his incredible story. Starting out his journey somewhat 20 years ago in London, with the dream to study art, he very quickly realized he needed a way to make money, so he joined the team at a bar in east London, first as a bar back, but quickly worked his way up in no less than 2 months to become a bartender!His love for art inspired him to reinterpret garnishes and cocktail presentations which lightened his passion for cocktail making and inspired him to become a mixologist. Fast forward and 10 years later, Soran became the head bartender at well-known Fuglen in Tokyo. He then moved on to work on a variety of things including opening his own consultancy called “ABV+”, and working as the bar producer and manager at the famous K5 Hotel in Tokyo, before opening Nomura Shoten in 2022, followed by the the Quarter Room earlier this year. A unique bar concept that intends to fuse art and cocktails. Listening to Soran, and how he approaches new cocktail creations even left our hosts in awe for a few seconds. Comparing the layer of a drink with mixing colors for a painting, Soran brings it all back to his beginnings and passion for art.As always, let us know what you think about this week's episode and if you are in Tokyo, make sure you visit Nomura Shoten or the Quarter room! You can of course follow Soran on his Instagram and don’t hesitate to also reach out to us with other sake or shochu-related thoughts or questions at [email protected] and rate us on the podcast service of your choice while you’re at it.At the same time, if you’re looking for updates @sakeonair, you can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Don’t hesitate to also share any other sake or shochu-related thoughts or questions with the hosts at [email protected] and rate us on the podcast service of your choice while you’re at it.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. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Martin Sturma’s path to kurabito life at Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten has been a winding one. He first started working with sake at the JETRO Prague office, but he had already fallen in love with drink thanks to a fateful encounter on a study abroad trip to the U.S., of all places.By 2020 he was ready to make the move to Japan and start working at a brewery, but the pandemic got in the way, and he found himself in Paris working for one of the more interesting sake makers outside of Japan, WAKAZE. There he was able to build experience across all parts of the brewing process, preparing him for when Japan finally reopened its borders, at which point he promptly set off to start at Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten, the makers of Zaku.Today he joins us to talk about his experiences becoming a kurabito, the differences between working at a sake brewery outside of Japan and a more traditional brewery in Japan, and why keeping the yeast happy is the best way to make delicious sake.

Anybody planning on coming to Japan to brew sake? Share your ambitions with us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also follow Martin's adventures on his instagram. Don’t hesitate to also reach out to us with other sake or shochu-related thoughts or questions at [email protected] and rate us on the podcast service of your choice while you’re at it.We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake on Air before you know it.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. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew.

Somehow, they’ve done it.Despite the long list of complex and seemingly impenetrable barriers, the folks at Tippsy have managed to make a large, diverse, and inspiring range of sake available to anyone just about anywhere in the U.S. Since founding Tippsy in 2018, Genki Ito has managed to expand Tippsy’s offerings to over 400 unique products and make them available to nearly every state across the country.What exactly is, “Tippsy”, you ask? In addition to being a reliable place to shop for sake online in the United States, Tippsy also offers a curated subscription service, opportunities to communicate and learn with a global community of sake fans and sake-curious, and a wealth of high-quality educational and informative materials about sake.The mission that Genki set out on was propelled forward when joined by current portfolio manager, Sachiko Miyagi. An experienced and highly decorated and certified sake educator, Sachiko has made herself the bridge between untapped sake knowledge and undiscovered sake lovers of the future.This week we’re lucky to be joined by both Genki and Sachiko to share with us the challenges and aspirations that have formed the past and will inform the future of Tippsy, and how they plan to get sake into the hands of the millions of people out there unknowingly waiting to begin their own sake journey.

Any Tippsy subscribers out there? Share your experiences with us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and of course, don’t forget to share with the folks over at Tippsy, as well! Don’t hesitate to also reach out to us with other sake or shochu-related thoughts or questions at [email protected] and rate us on the podcast service of your choice while you’re at it.We’ll be back very soon with plenty more Sake On Air before you know it.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. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Aruten, arukoru tenka, or the ingredient largely responsible for the need to create a category of junmai sake in the first place, is sake that has been made with an addition of brewer’s alcohol. Four years and 4 months ago John, little Chris, big Chris, and Justin discussed the differences between junmai and aruten sake in episode 11 of Sake on Air. How time flies. But today Justin is diving back into aruten with sake specialist, and fellow podcaster, Jim Rion. Jim is the author of Discovering Yamaguchi Sake: A Taster’s Guide to Breweries, Culture, and Terrain, published earlier this year from Stone Bridge Press.Jim’s word for this week is aruten. Reasons for adding brewer’s alcohol are many and you’d miss out on a lot of exceptional sake to assume, “junmai, good; aruten, bad.” Aruten sake types include daiginjo and ginjo (sans “junmai” of course), as well as honjozo and futsu-shu. Some brewers choose to specialize in aruten to give themselves more control over the final flavor of their sake, others are maintaining a long tradition that has its roots in preservation techniques for sake.Are you more of an Aruten or Junmai person, or does it really even matter? Share more with us here at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or send us a message with your thoughts and experiences to [email protected].

We’ll be back with more Sake On Air – On Your Own Terms, before you know it.Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is recorded and broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

“Moyashi” is a bit tricky: it’s simply translated as “bean sprout” in Japanese, but in the world of sake it refers to the sprouting koji starter knows as tane-koji, in Japanese. In this week’s episode we get insight as to how this important terminology also ties into an even more specialized term “soyashi” and how the fermentation process is connected to the sprouting of various bacteria and molds.Moyashi was the Sake Concierge, Takashi “Umio” Eguchi’s second word choice in our On Your Own Terms series. He always offers an insightful perspective as part of his explanations about sake and the related enjoyment and culture. Our conversation today is a walk through the historical methods of sake brewing, and how past techniques have been passed down to the terms and practices that still thrive today.Was moyashi new to you? Share more with us here at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or send us a message with your thoughts and experiences to [email protected].

We’ll be back with more Sake On Air – On Your Own Terms, before you know it.Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is recorded and broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

The amount of “genshu” sake circulating the market these days is ever-increasing. So first and foremost, what in the world is genshu?This week your regular host Sebastien Lemoine brings the genshu topic to the table on his own terms together with Justin Potts. Beyond defining the term (hint: it’s actually pretty simple!) they also get into how the term can be both misinterpreted and reinterpreted at the discretion of the maker’s processes, making sake titled with the word genshu not only more prevalent, but also raises the question: does it even matter?Are you a genshu fan? If so, tell us why at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or send us a message with your thoughts and experiences to [email protected].

We’ll be back with more Sake On Air – On Your Own Terms, very soon.Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is recorded and broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

This week we’re lucky to be joined once again by Niigata Sake Lovers founder, sake educator, guide, and evangelist extraordinaire, Tomomi Duquette.Tomomi’s sake vocabulary that she’s brought to the bar this week on her own terms is particularly interesting in that it flies directly in the face of what her sake homefield is best known for. In Niigata – generally considered the karakuchi motherland – genuinely amakuchi sake is relatively few and far between (although that’s gradually changing, as well).In general, karakuchi is more prevalent vocabulary – both in sake conversation and on the label – than amakuchi. That being said, for every karakuchi sake, there’s certainly a delicious bottle of amakuchi out there as well, isn’t there? So, why doesn’t it seem to get as much attention? Is karakuchi as universally loved as it seems, or is amakuchi equally synonymous with beloved sake?In order to discuss amakuchi, we kind of have to address karakuchi, as well, so this week you sort of get a two-for-one here at On Your Own Terms. Lucky you!Do you lean more karakuchi or amakuchi? What’s your personal barometer for each? Let us know @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or send us a message with your thoughts and experiences to [email protected], and we’ll discuss.

We’ll be back with more Sake On Air – On Your Own Terms, very soon.Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is recorded and broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Not only can a single batch of sake be broken down into unique seasonal releases, it can even be divided up into a range of unique products immediately following the pressing of a single batch.One possible way to do so would be to set aside (and then promptly bottle and distribute) what’s known as “arabashiri”, often translated as “first run”. This week we’re thrilled to be joined once again by previous guest of Masumi fame, Keith Norum. What exactly is “arabashiri”, and is it something you should be on the lookout for? Keith is the perfect guest to speak on the topic because not only does Masumi do a spectacular annual Arabashiri release, their specific product actually differs a bit from the conventional definition of the word, leading to some great Masumi stories as well as a great compare-and-contrast conversation that will hopefully shed more light on this often underappreciated bottling and help our listeners better understand the term as a result.Anyone keen to follow Keith on a detailed brewery tour of Masumi can do so here, as well as keep up-to-date with Masumi straight from the source in Nagano right here.If you have some of your own arabashiri experiences, be sure to share with use here at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or send us a message to [email protected].

We’ll be back with more Sake On Air – On Your Own Terms, very soon.Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is recorded and broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Is it “kura”, or is it “gura?”It’s both! On week’s episode of On Your Own Terms, regular host Justin Potts sits down with Chris Hughes to examine a rather pervasive term in and around the world of sake: kura, the Japanese word that encompasses storehouse, brewery, factory, and nowadays, a whole lot more. Sake breweries are often called sakagura in Japanese, with their modern facilities are often built around an older kura that can be 100s of years old. (Note: the “gura” spelling represents the inflection that occurs when attached to a preceding word, hence, “saka-gura”, as opposed to, “saka-kura”.)The Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association (JSS) has an excellent resource that lists all of the sake breweries throughout Japan that offer kura tours. There are also many companies that offer brewery tours as part of their personalized services, including our very own Sebastien Lemoine’s Passerelle.Have you visited a sakagura before? Do you have plans to go? If so, share your experiences or let us know at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or send us a message to [email protected].

We’ll be back with more Sake On Air – On Your Own Terms, in just a few days.Until then, kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is recorded and broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.