Sugidama Sake Podcast
by Alex
This is a podcast to chronicle my journey into the world of sake and other Japanese drinks, food, culture and history. While I have a sake qualification (International Kikisake-shi), I still consider myself as a novice in the sake world. I have plenty to learn about the drink and I want to share this experience with my listeners through personal accounts, interesting facts about sake and interviews with sake experts.
Episodes
-
Ep. 49: How to Enjoy Sake: Easy Buying Guide
The new season of Sugidama Sake Podcast is out and I am releasing the first episode on Saturday! This is the start of a mini-series "How to Enjoy Sake". After talking to a lot of people who don't drink sake I have realised that very often the reason is that they believe that sake has some special...
-
Ep. 48: Shochu Advisor Course Overview
The final episode of Season 4 is about a new Shochu Advisor Course, run by the Intentional Sake School. I have recently taken it and decided to share my experience. The course was taught by amazing Toshio Ueno, a Co-Founder of the Sake School of America, Director of Sake at MTC. Ueno san is Sake...
-
Ep 47: Sake Around the World. Sake in Manchester with Jamie Ryder (Yamato Magazine)
It's the conclusion of the Sake Around the World miniseries. We started it in Birmingham with Simon Boulton, then flew to Hong Kong to talk to Eric and Will, after that we chatted with Timothy and John from the Sake Revolution podcast in New York and made a stop in Paris to discuss sake and wine...
-
Ep. 46: Brewery Focus. Kuheiji Honten with Japan Centre
Kuheiji Kuno is a maverick. He's a trailblazer of the sake world taking his inspiration from hundreds of years of sake brewing tradition, Japanese culture and philosophy of living with nature, and French winemaking. He believes in terroir, which remains a controversial topic in the sake industry....
-
Ep 45: Sake Around the World. Sake in France with Tony Yip
We continue our journey around the world to find out how sake fares in different countries. And today I am talking to Tony Yip from VSF Wine Education about France. How does sake coexist with wine in one of the key wine-making countries? Do people drink sake at all there and what about local…
more -
Ep 44: Discovering Yamaguchi Sake with Jim Rion
A new English-language book about sake is always big news. They do not come that often. It's passed almost a year since Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake by Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay (see Episode 30). And this time we are treated by Discovering Yamaguchi Sake by Jim Rion. You...
-
Ep 43: Sake Around the World. New York with Sake Revolution, Timothy Sullivan and John Puma
The United States is the largest export market for Japanese sake. And for the last few decades, New York has been the key destination for sake outside Asia. Many sake brands first came there and only after that to Europe. A dedicated sake bar Decibel opened its doors in New York in 1993, almost…
more -
Ep. 42: Brewery Focus. Niida Honke with Sake Collective
Founded in 1711, Niida Honke has been brewing sake in the same location in Kōriyama, Fukushima Prefecture for more than 300 years. The brewery is known for the combination of traditional brewing techniques with its strong commitment to natural ingredients and its philosophy that everything has to...
-
Ep. 41 Sake Around the World: Sake in Hong Kong with Eric Fung and Will Jarvis
From Birmingham to Hong Kong following sake around the world! I am talking to Eric Fung and Will Jarvis about the sake scene in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one of the largest export markets for sake just behind the US and Mainland China due for a number of reasons: Due to the proximity to Japan,...
-
Ep. 40: Brewery Focus. Tedorigawa Sake with World Sake Imports UK
Yoshida Sake Brewery, the maker of Tedorigawa sake, is famous not only for its amazing and delicious sake but also for the documentary, The Birth of Sake, which follows the process of traditional, craft sake making throughout the winter of 2013. So we sat down with Asami Tasaka and Masayo Nuttall...
-
Ep. 39 Sake Around the World: Sake in Birmingham with Sam Boulton
This is the first episode in the Sake Around the World series. Today I am talking with Samuel Boulton about sake in Birmingham. With almost 15 years in the industry, Sam boasts many accolades such as CLASS Awards 2022, Bar Employer of the year, The Drinks Trust Golden Pineapple 2022 Winner of the...
-
Ep. 38: Brewery Focus. Noguchi Sake Institute with Tengu Sake
Noguchi Naohiko is a legend in the world of sake. He has been making sake since 1949 and is widely known as the God of Sake Brewing. After working at a number of breweries as a toji (master brewer) he now heads The Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute (NNSI) established in 2017 with the vision of…
more -
Ep. 37: The start of Season 4 and BSA Grand Tasting
The wait is over and Season 4 is on with a lot of interesting interviews, breweries overviews, tastings, special episodes and even a competition together with London Sake, which will be announced later. In this episode, I am talking to a bunch of very cool people I met at the British Sake...
-
Ep. 36: IWC Sake 2022
Yay, it's been two years and three seasons of Sugidama Podcast! And this is the last episode of Season 3, where I share some observations from the IWC Sake judging this year and the Award Winning Sake Tasting at the Embassy of Japan followed after. During that tasting event, I took comments from…
more -
Ep. 35: Deep Dive into Sake Trends: an interview with Jim Rion and Andrew Russell, Sake Deep Dive
This is the second interview, which concludes the Emergence of Sake series and highlights the modern sake trends. This time with Jim Rion and Andrew Russell from the super interesting and informative Sake Deep Dive podcast. Andy has already been on Sugidama Podcast before passionately talking…
more -
Ep. 34: Kanpai, London! Interview with Tom Wilson, a master brewer and owner of Kanpai Brewery in London
After concluding The Emergence of Sake series tracing the history of sake brewing from ancient times until the modern times, I decided to follow it with two interviews highlighting the modern trends in sake making. And in this episode, I am talking to Tom Wilson, a master brewer and owner of the...
-
Ep. 33: Emergence of Sake Series: Sake in Modern Times
Last time we were talking about the Edo period, which brought many techniques and innovations into sake brewing resulting in better and more stable sake. But the real revolution in sake-making happened after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate: during the Meiji era but particularly at the…
more -
Ep. 32: Where to Learn about Sake and Enjoy It: an interview with Marie Cheong-Thong
Sake is not a very easy topic. If you want to understand it well, you need to do some studying. You can buy a book or two about sake (see Episode 12 Essential Books about Sake) and read them. You can go to sake events and probably join a sake promoting organisation such as the British Sake...
-
Ep. 31: Emergence of Sake Series: The Age of Prosperity: Sake in the Edo Period
The Edo period for sake brewing was like the Victorian era for the industrial revolution. So many things that happened then still influence the drink now: from technological advances and new brewing techniques to the geography and taste. In this episode, we are looking at the evolution of sake...
-
Ep. 30: Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake (Interview with Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay)
It's always exciting to read a new book about sake. There are not that many of them published outside Japan. But the fact that this new book is written by two amazing authors and sake specialists Nancy Matsumoto, a renowned sake and food journalist and Michael Tremblay, Sake Samurai and sake...
-
Ep 29: Emergence of Sake Series: Bodaimoto and How Oda Nobunaga Ended Soboshu
Soboshu, the sake brewed by monks played a very important role in the development of sake brewing techniques in medieval Japan. The monasteries possessed many key components necessary for successful sake-making: economic power, skilled labour force, scientific knowledge and strong political…
more -
Ep 28: The beauty of nature: The Sparkling Sake Brewery
The new interview with Naoki Toyota and Tracey Delaney from The Sparkling Sake Brewery based in Cambridgeshire. Inspired by nature, Naoki went to study sake brewing in Nara, the birthplace of Japanese sake. After returning to the UK, he went on the mission to create the sake, which would express...
-
Ep 27: Emergence of Sake Series: Enters Koji, Imperial Court and Soboshu
I continue the mini-series about the emergence of sake with an episode about probably the major technological breakthrough in sake making: the use of koji, this amazing friendly microorganism, I was talking with Akemi Yokoyama about in Episode 16. But what is the link between sake and the…
more -
Ep 26: How a Travel Company Opened a Sake Store in London: Interview HIS Japan Premium
The first interview of Season 3: a conversation about a new Japanese sake and grocery store, HIS Japan Premium, with John Opondo, who is Managing Director of HIS Europe and Masahiro Tsuji, HIS Business Development Manager. John and Masahiro are telling a story of how a travel company decided to...
-
Ep 25: The Emergence of Sake: Roots of Nihonshu
After a break Sugidama Podcast is back with a short series talking about the emergence of sake brewing methods from ancient times to our days. In this episode, we are talking about the roots of sake from how people discovered alcohol in the first place to ancient sake brewing technics used up to...
-
Ep 24: Message in a Bottle: Interview with Andy Travers, London Sake
In the final episode of Season 2, I am talking to Andy Travers, the founder of London Sake, an online sake shop, and Sugidama Podcast's sponsor. We covered quite a lot of topics from the London Sake story, to the Olympics, bottle labels and managed to taste and discussed three excellent sake…
more -
Ep 23: Sake Focus: Ginjo, Luxury in a Glass
The fourth episode in the short Sake Focus series is about ginjo, premium and super-premium sake made from highly polished rice. The name comes from two Chinese characters and could be translated as "crafted or carefully brewing". But there's much more in ginjo than just a high milling ratio.…
more -
Ep 22: Sake Focus: Namazake, Life in a Bottle
The third episode in the short Sake Focus series is about namazake, unpasteurised sake which is known for its unruly wild and lively character. Nama can be translated from Japanese as live, raw, fresh, or even natural. And it's all true about namazake. Listen to the episode to find out about...
-
Ep 21: Sake Focus: Nigori, a descendant of a sacred drink
The second episode in the short Sake Focus series is about nigori, which takes its origin from the ancient sacred drink called doburoku. Doburoku is the oldest method of sake brewing which survived more than a thousand years of history and is still around nowadays. Nigori is cloudy sake, where…
more -
Ep 20: Sake Focus: Junmai/Honjozo
Recently, I have spoken to one of my listeners, who praised this podcast for its wonderful content. “But you know”, he said. “Sake is a completely new thing for me and I feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of information you put in each episode. Why don’t you make them a bit easier to digest?”...
-
Ep 19: Sake Ingredients: Yeast, the Unsung Hero of Sake Brewing (interview with Andrew Russell)
The conclusion of the Sake Ingredients mini-series with an interview with Andrew Russell about sake yeast, which he calls an unsung hero of sake brewing. Andrew moved to Japan from Scotland to pursue his interest in what he described as “a fascinating and multifaceted country” and fulfil his…
more -
Ep 18: How I Became an IWC Sake Judge
On a nice April morning, I've got a call from Rie Yoshitake, whom I know from numerous sake events. "Alex, would you like to be a sake judge at IWC", she asked out of the blue. "Yes!", I replied without any hesitation. It was my dream for the last couple of years and now it's been fulfilled! Yay!...
-
Ep 17: Sake, mirin and other animals (Interview with Kinu Yukawa)
A great interview about sake, cooking, mirin and other things with Kinu Yukawa. She is a Japanese chef and cookery teacher from Kobe, Japan, currently based in London. She ventured into the world of food early in life and fostered the basics of cooking from her grandmother. Later she trained in...
-
Ep 16: Sake Ingredients: Beautiful Koji (Interview with Akemi Yokoyama)
Koji is a magical ingredient of sake. A tiny microorganism that turns starch into sugar and makes it possible to make this beautiful drink. It's a national benevolent mould of Japan, which appeared in the country more than a thousand years ago and responsible for a large part of Japanese cuisine....
-
Ep 15: Sake Ingredients: Rice, the Essence of Sake
Rice is the essence of sake. It’s the source of alcohol and it gives sake its flavour, aroma, texture and character. It’s like grape to wine but slightly different. But rice is not the most suitable ingredient for an alcoholic beverage for one obvious reason: it does not have much sugar. But…
more -
Ep 14: Sake Ingredients: The power of Water
The importance of water is difficult to overestimate. It’s second only to the brewer’s skill and as important as good rice and koji. But honestly, given good water, a skilful toji can make excellent sake from even table rice. But I am not sure if even a genius of a toji can make a delicious sake...
-
Ep 13: 5 tips to pick up the sake you will enjoy (plus what is SMV)
What could be more disappointing than ordering something, waiting for it with excitement and then realising that it’s something you don’t like. It happens quite often unfortunately and buying and ordering sake is not an exception. So in this episode, I would like to give you a few tips on…
more -
Ep 12: 5 Essential Books about Sake
There are plenty of books about wine or whiskey. You go to any bookshop and you can always find something. Unfortunately, there are actually not many English language books available about the beautiful drink of Japanese sake. Definitely more than 5 (I’ve got seven) but still probably fewer than...
-
Ep 11: Through the time: the history of sake (Interview with Natsuki Kikuya)
The origin of sake is covered in mystery. In order to get some clarity, I have spoken to Natsuki Kikuya, who is a certified sake and wine professional, educator and sake sommelier. She’s been a sake judge at the prestigious IWC Sake Category since 2011. In 2013, she launched “Museum of Sake”...
-
Ep 10: How to Open a Sake Bar in London and Survive a Lockdown (Interview with Erika Haigh from Moto London)
Erika a sake and wine specialist and director of Moto London, a sake bar which opened in London Covent Garden just about a year ago. She is an amazing person and whom I have known for some time through my blog, Instagram and personally. The story of Moto is really fascinating. You can imagine…
more -
Ep 09: How to Drink Sake Like a Pro (Interview with Oliver Hilton-Johnson from Tengu Sake)
Oliver Hilton-Johnson is a Sake Specialist and Director of Tengu Sake, a sake imports, wholesale & retail company. Tengu Sake supplies quality Japanese sake and spirits to some of the UK’s finest restaurants and bars and is the recipient of the International Wine Challenge’s ‘Sake Merchant of the...
-
Ep 08: It’s a Kind of Magic: How Sake is Made Part 2
The second part of the exciting two-parter about how sake is made. I never stop admiring the skill and craftmanship of sake brewers. They manage to create a beautiful drink from rice and water. In this episode we continue exploring the sake brewing process learning about sandan jikomi, multiple...
-
Ep 07: How to order sake and other tips from Satomi Dosseur
Satomi Dosseur is a sake professional and educator, a founder of Enshu Limited, which runs a great and very interesting sake specialist course (Kikisake-shi) in London, which I took a few years ago. Satomi can talk hours about sake and is very good at encouraging people to try it and enjoy. Born...
-
Ep 06: It’s a Kind of Magic: How Sake is Made Part 1
Great news! Sugidama Podcast now has a sponsor, London Sake, an excellent online sake store. London Sake has one of the widest selections of premium and craft sake available online today. They deliver across the UK and Europe, and with over 100 sake from 25 breweries, there really is something…
more -
Ep 05: How I learnt about sake and started to love it?
A lot of people often ask me why sake. They are usually quite intrigued. I’m not Japanese (they don’t know that sake in Japan is not that popular these days), I’ve never lived in Japan (only visited two times as a tourist), my wife is not Japanese (again, another thing that could link me to the...
-
Ep 04: From Kimoto to Sokujo and Back Again
The process of making sake is really exciting! There are several sake brewing methods: three main ones, kimoto, yamahai and sokujo (or sokujo-moto) and another one, bodaimoto, which is even older but has been rediscovered only recently. Sake taste profile depends to a certain extent on the method...
-
Ep 03: A Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Sake Universe Part 2
While sake has a milder taste compared to wine, it's diversity is astounding. You not only have sake grades or styles which have their own flavour profiles but also sake types, which add another dimension to the sake universe. Nigori, namazake, koshu, all these words mean variations in brewing...
-
Ep 02: A Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Sake Universe Part 1
Junmai, honjozo, ginjo, daiginjo... What do all these strange words mean? Do we have to know them to enjoy sake? It will definitely help you to identify the sake types you like, to understand a difference between these incomprehensible sake bottles in a shop or exotic sake names on a wine-list…
more -
Ep 01: Busting Popular Sake Myths and Legends
Welcome to the first episode of Sugidama Podcast, the podcast about Japanese sake, the amazing drink, I am madly in love with, profoundly fascinated by and eager to tell you about! Sake is a mysterious drink for the Western audience. Many heard but only a few have tried. As any mysterious object,...
About this show
This is a podcast to chronicle my journey into the world of sake and other Japanese drinks, food, culture and history. While I have a sake qualification (International Kikisake-shi), I still consider myself as a novice in the sake world. I have plenty to learn about the drink and I want to share this experience with my listeners through personal accounts, interesting facts about sake and interviews with sake experts.
Hosted by
Alex