Sake Revolution

Episode 121. This week, we shine the sake spotlight on a region of Japan that is virtually unknown to most sake fans. We’re talking about Kagoshima, the volcanic, sub-tropical home base of “imo” sweet potato shochu on the southern tip of Kyushu island. Despite being a world famous mecca for distilled shochu, two of the over 100 distilleries in Kagoshima have ventured into sake production giving us a sake lifeboat in this vast ocean of shochu. Today we’ll be tasting one of them: Tenbu sake from Nishi Shuzo, a distillery founded in 1845. The remarkable point here is that they only received their sake brewing license in 2020 making this one of the youngest sake breweries around. How does sake that is made by shochu distillers actually taste?  Well, let’s dive in and explore the sake from one of the most unlikely places in Japan: Kagoshima! #sakerevolution

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Episode 120. Stop the presses! Sake has been more and more in the news recently and we wanted to take a look at some of the newsworthy headlines hitting our shores.  This week, we'll discuss reports of the first ever "carbon neutral" sake coming out of Hyogo from the Kobe Shushinkan Brewery.  This involves not only changes to the energy that powers the brewery but also changes to the production process itself to optimize energy expenditures and production time.  Is this a sneak peek into sake's future?  We also debate the somewhat controversial "Sake Viva" program put out by Japan's National Tax Agency.  This program solicits marketing proposals that will encourage drinking among the younger generations.  Lots to unpack here, too!  Listen in to get our two cents the latest sake headlines as we uncover some sake in the news!  #SakeRevolution

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Episode 119 This week we welcome sake expert Jessica Joly to the podcast to introduce us to this very special trio of sakes all from Saga Prefecture. The breweries are all different and distinct, but they have collaborated to create a set of three bottles with a unique branding and flavor story you won’t see anywhere else. First, from Koimari Brewery, we have the Tropical Junmai Daiginjo which uses the silhouette of a pineapple on the label to communicate it’s fruity aroma and flavor. Next, the Crisp Junmai Daiginjo from Mitsutake Brewery has an illustration of an octopus to signify the crisp, clean flavors and water like minerality. Last but not least, the Yano Brewery has crafted a 5-year-aged Junmai Kimoto sake that uses an outline of a mushroom to project its deep umami flavors. The packaging on the whole set is beautiful and a fun way to communicate the range you can enjoy from Saga sake. Also, Jessica gives us the lowdown on an upcoming sake sake event Happening Sept 19, 2022 at Sakagura in NYC. Listen in to hear the whole saga! #SakeRevolution

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Episode 118.  This week, John and Timothy combat the boredom of late summer by exploring another extreme sake.  If you've ever put a squeeze of lemon in your iced tea, you know acidity can transform a beverage. But what role does acidity play in sake? and how do we taste it?  By exploring a sake that is much higher in acid, we hope to uncover  this and more.  Wine is well known to have more overall acidity than sake, so let's see if this high acid brew brings some wine-like qualities to the tasting.  We sure hope we will never sour on tastings higher acid sakes.  #SakeRevolution

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Episode 117. This week John and Timothy give a recap of their recent visit to the Joy of Sake event in New York City.  This is one of the "big kahuna" sake events in the U.S. and a great kick off to what we hope will be a return to more in-person sake tasting overall.  We explore some of the history and what to expect at this event.  John even lets us in on his favorite sips of the night.  If you'd like to join next year, we give you all the details on staying connected to get in on their next big tasting.  We also enjoyed a summery nama sake from the Niwa no Uguisu brand which we tasted as a rare example of an unpasteurized usu-nigori (lightly cloudy) sake.  Listen in as we all discover the "Joy of Sake" together!  #sakerevolution

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Episode 116. Week in and week out, our standard gear for tasting and evaluating sake is a simple wine glass. This works really well and almost everybody has one nearby. But in Japan, there are a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes used to make cups for drinking sake. That got us wondering if we should take some other cups out for a test drive and compare them to our usual stemware. This week we are exploring a real square in the world of sake cups - the masu.  Born as a box-shaped measuring cup for rice and re-imagined as a fragrant wooden cup for drinking sake, the masu is a totally unique vessel and one that you will find in Japanese sake bars and izakaya across the world. Have you tried drinking your sake out of a square box? And how does that masu stack up against our trusty wine glass?  Listen now to our third sake vessel smackdown! #sakerevolution

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Episode 115. While Sake Revolution is currently the only U.S. sake podcast, there are several other podcasters around the world working hard to spread the good word of sake.  We thought it would be fun to connect with our international colleagues for a little sake pod "crosstalk" to network and share the sake love. This week we connect with  Japan-based sake podcasters Giulia Maglio and Cindy Bissig, creators of "Sake Unplugged".  This podcast promises to take listeners behind the sake curtain and in our interview we find out about how they connected to get their podcast off the ground as well as the challenges of running a weekly show. Join us in the crosstalk!   #sakerevolution

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Episode 114. With the recent heatwave, there was one kind of sake that kept grabbing our attention.  Not just cold sake, but super-chilled "Mizore" sake.  Mizore means sleet in Japanese, and this word describes perfectly the sake slushies we made ourselves for this week's episode.  Sake slushies are made by freezing one cup sake or a small bottle to about 25 degrees F without letting it freeze solid.  When the sake is then agitated, it transforms by magic into an icy, cool and super refreshing sake sorbet-like treat.  Listen in as John and Tim get super chill and enjoy their first homemade Mizore Sake slushies.  #SakeRevolution

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Episode 113.   A-ha moments are not one and done.  This week, John and Timothy explore a sake brand that was a sake "A-ha 2.0" for them both.  Perhaps a bit less well known in Japan compared to some other so-called cult sakes, Kamikokoro is a brand from Okayama that is winning new fans around the world.  Kamikokoro has harnessed the power of their renowned local fruit - Yume Hakuto White Peaches - to take their sake to the next level.  The Kamikokoro Tokagen Nama sake tasted in this episode uses yeast from the peaches to express a deep and rich fruitiness that steers clear of tropical notes to focus in on stone-fruit and citrus.  And if you're interested in Japanese peach folklore, you'll surely want to first sip some sake and then listen in to our retelling of Momotaro, the legend of the boy born from a peach who teams up with a monkey, dog and pheasant to defeat a bunch of Orge bullies. Lets explore the power of Kamikokoro's peachy sake. hashtag peach emoji!

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Episode 112. When it comes to sake controversies, there is one topic that can give "hot sake vs cold sake" a run for its money - and that is "sake cocktails!" Love them or hate them, cocktails made with sake are an up and coming way for new consumers to get their first exposure to sake.  Since this is a somewhat controversial topic, we found the perfect subject matter expert to walk us through the the ins and outs of sake cocktails - Mr. Kenta Goto!  He is an award-winning bartender with two eponymous cocktail bars: Bar Goto in Manhattan and Bar Goto Niban in Brooklyn.  Kenta gives us his take on the role of sake in cocktails and teaches us how to marry sake wth other cocktail ingredients to create a balanced drink.  And even better, he guides us on how to mix our own sake cocktail live on the podcast! This experience leaves John and Timothy shaken AND stirred as they reevaluate everything they thought they knew about sake in cocktails.  If you feel somewhat muddled yourself when it comes to sake cocktails, this week's episode will help you find the sake cocktail that's just right for you. #sakerevolution 

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