When Hot Springs, Arkansas native Ben Bell, hoping to launch a sake brewery in his state, told Matt Bell that the area should be the Napa Valley of sake, that vision became a “north star” for the latter native son as well. This was 2016. Had these two very different individuals, who share a last…
This warm prefecture that stretches across the southern coast of Shikoku might not seem like the ideal location to brew sake, yet Kochi’s 18 breweries churn out an impressive number of surprisingly light and dry varieties. With a distinctly different vibe from the more in-your-face profiles of most sake from western Japan, the dry and…
Keith Norum is one of the more youthful sixty-year-olds you’ll meet, even in a country where so many people seem youthful in the later decades of their lives. He looks younger than his years, there’s vitality in his voice and expressions, and he gives every indication he’s eager to continue with his busy work in…
(Marina Giordano pictured at center; article by Alessandra Polina) Sake is a unique, complex beverage in which interest in the United States has grown over the past few years, but it is still widely misunderstood. Marina Giordano, a sake expert and educator, has made it her mission to demystify the world of sake and get…
Falling in love with sake is easy to do. We all know that. And along with the honeymoon phase of falling in love comes the insatiable desire to learn more about sake. We read books, scour blogs, watch YouTube videos, and go to tastings. It’s a deep rabbit hole to go down as you find…
Production of Okinawa’s homegrown beverage awamori emerged in an atmosphere of cultural cultivation that was threatened at times by violent conflicts and political struggle. The collection of islands that today make up Okinawa Prefecture has a long history rich in cultural developments and maritime commerce. The island chain was formerly known as the Ryūkyū Kingdom,…
In this new series for Sake Today, we focus on non-Japanese in Japan who have established themselves in the sake industry. May their stories have the power to inspire! Six or seven years ago, Brian Hutto would have been quite surprised to hear from a time-traveler that he would be running a popular sake bar…
Change is inevitable. But that doesn’t mean that it always comes smoothly or that it ever proceeds according to plan. In the sake industry, change usually comes slowly and begrudgingly. Sometimes, it comes too late. Sake breweries have traditionally been family-owned and passed down from father to son. If there were no sons, the first…
America has the best selection of sake outside of Japan. Hundreds of brands have been registered by importers. Most restaurants and bottle shops in major cities have access to dozens of them at any given time. Imports, though, are not cheap. Even most of America’s domestic producers tend to be pricey. Thankfully, SakeOne in Oregon…
In the waning days of the Edo period (1603~1868) Shitara was a thriving post station and lodging town along the major route from coastal Aichi to landlocked Nagano Prefecture. Salt harvested from the sea moved inland as lumber logged from the forestland surrounding the town was transported to oceanside communities. After a long day on…