In an age of digital connection, podcasts are an excellent resource for learning new topics. As a fan of sake, I’ve enjoyed listening to the Sake On Air podcast, which regularly covers themes on nihonshu and shochu. But it’s not the only Japanese booze podcast in town. I’d also recommend listening to America’s first sake podcast, Sake Revolution.
Spreading the gospel of sake to the US
Sake Revolution is hosted by the knowledgeable John Puma and Tim Sullivan, a duo with plenty of nihonshu experience between them. John is the co-creator of The Sake Notes, a sake marketing platform that helps to spread awareness of Japan’s national drink all over the world. Along with his wife, John also hosts regular sake tasting events in New York.
Tim is the founder of Urban Sake, another awesome nihonshu resource for enthusiasts and newbies alike. A designated Sake Samurai, Tim is also the global brand ambassador for Hakkaisan Sake Brewery.
Sake Revolution is a passion project for the both of them and there’s a lot of great content to discover.
Digestible episodes and thirst-quenching answers
What I enjoy about Sake Revolution is the easy-to-follow format of each episode. John and Tim provide a good amount of information for no longer than 30 minutes, making the podcast easy to listen to. Each episode features a different aspect of the sake industry, such as ingredients and the unique nature of junmai sake. An episode I particularly enjoyed goes into depth about brewer’s alcohol and why it’s added to certain types of nihonshu.
Sake tastings also make the podcast unique, with Tim and John giving the backstory about the bottles they try on each episode. They even have a dedicated section on the website that tells you where you can buy the drinks from.
Whether you’d like to learn more about nihonshu or have been imbibing for years, Sake Revolution is a great podcast to add to your list. Check it out by going to sakerevolution.com.
Yamato Magazine 