What’s better than one bottle of sake? Three bottles of sake! Especially when they come from a brewery with the creative skills and history of the Kikuchi Sake Brewery in Okayama Prefecture.
Read on to learn the stories and tasting profiles of three very different types of nihonshu: Sanzen tokubetsu junmai, Kiseki No Osake and Sanzen junmai daiginjo.
Continue reading “Kikuchi Brewery Sake Is Awesome (Here’s Why)”
Travelling to Japan can have a transformative effect, inspiring people to start careers firmly rooted in their love of The Land Of The Rising Sun. For Tracey Delaney, the opportunity to represent her school and go to Japan sparked a life-long appreciation for the country.
Since then she’s become a global ambassador, a sake sommelier and provided support to the UK’s first sparkling sake brewery. Read on to find out more about Tracey’s story.
The sake industry is filled with a passionate community of folks who love spreading the good word of nihonshu. Being a part of it has put me in touch with so many great people and it’s been a pleasure to chat to Giulia Maglio, AKA Jiji Sake.
Giulia is a sake sommelier, writer and podcast host dedicated to spreading the love of sake throughout Italy, Japan and beyond. In this interview, we talk about her experiences in Japan, her latest projects and where she sees the sake industry going.
Ever tried Japanese shochu? If not, you’re missing out on a world of incredible flavour and history. Yamato Magazine has become something of an evangelical space for Japan’s indigenous spirit and diving down the shochu rabbit hole continues with the beautiful kinjo shiro shochu from Takahashi Shuzo.
Continue reading “Kinjo Shiro Shochu Review: Sweet And Savoury Heaven In A Glass”
Japanese spirits like shochu aren’t that well-known in Western countries. But when you develop a taste for shochu, it’s easy to disappear down the rabbit hole and drinking the spirit has inspired the creation of a spirit for my horror world of The Frontier.
No matter where you come from on The Frontier, alcohol is the great equaliser, playing a vital role in religion, politics and everyday life. The same goes for the kamuni, who use alcohol as a way to be closer to their beliefs, celebrate and mark important milestones.
A popular drink within kamuni culture is burash, a type of spirit that can be made from several ingredients and has a huge range of flavour profiles.
The drinking traditions of different cultures is fascinating and Japanese sake is one of the most unique beverages on the planet. I enjoy drinking it so much that it inspired the creation of a fantastical drink that fits into the world of The Frontier, a horror western universe inhabited by monsters and gunslingers.
Tinek is the spirtual drink of the kamuni and you can learn more about it here.
Continue reading “Unlocking The Mysteries Of Tinek And The Secret Brewing Techniques Of The Kamuni”
Flights Of Fantasy examines the drinking habits of characters from fantasy and horror fiction and in this edition the spotlight is on Itsano from Tales Of The Frontier. A kamuni battle conductor, healer and warrior, Itsano would have a great love for sake because it has similar characteristics to tinek, the drink of his people.
Let’s take a closer look at the kind of nihonshu Itsano would drink.
Inari drinks sake
by the river in summer
drunk on gold laughter
Browsing London Sake’s expansive range, it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed by choice. Sometimes, even for an experienced nihonshu connoisseur, the best approach is simply to choose a bottle with a beautifully, striking label and hope that the contents measure up. This tactic (which has generally served me well with both unfamiliar sake and craft beer purchases in the past) goes a way to explaining how I ended up in the possession of Tamagawa’s 2019 ‘Red Label’ Heirloom Yamahai Genshu.
Continue reading “Guest Post: Tamagawa Red Label Heirloom Yamahai Gennshu Junmai Review”
When it comes to sake categories, sparkling sake is growing in popularity, due to the similar characteristics it shares with champagne and because there’s a lot of creativity going on in the space. So, when a sparkling sake producer pops up in the UK, it’s something to shout about and that’s certainly the case with The Sparkling Sake Brewery.
Based in the suburbs of Cambridgeshire, The Sparkling Sake Brewery is the first of its kind in the UK and there’s a great story behind its genesis. Read on to learn more about the philosophy of the brewery and where it hopes to take sparkling sake in the future.
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