Kanzake Time! The joys of warm sake
The Season of Warm Sake Autumn has just appeared on my doorsteps like a temperamental distant relative, who dropped by for an evening but stayed for weeks. One day is…
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 during our conversation.
Sake Focus: Ginjo, Luxury in a Glass
A new episode of Sugidama Podcast is about ginjo, premium and super-premium sake known for its fruity aroma and refined taste. I talk about the history of ginjo style, characteristics of the sake and food pairing and drinking recommendations.
5 Sake to drink in Summer 2021
Summer requires summer sake. Everything is seasonal in Japan, and sake, the drink that counts 1000 years of history, is not an exception. However, summer sake is a relatively new concept and the term natsuzake (夏酒, summer sake) only appeared in 2007 coined by the Sake Service Institute (SSI) as a response to low demand for sake during the hot summer months in Japan. So I decided to look at the sake available here in the UK and came up with a list of 5 sake to drink in summer 2021.
Sake Focus: Namazake, Life in a Bottle
Continuing the Sake Focus series with an episode on namazake, unpasteurised sake, known for its wild and funky 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 different types of namazake including famous autumn sake called hiyaoroshi.
One cup to rule them all: 5 single-serving sake to try
Single-serving sake is becoming more popular outside Japan. I have noticed that the choice now is much better than a couple of years ago. So I decided to write a review of the most popular 'one cup' sake. Enjoy and kampai!
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. I am talking about types of nigori, how it's brewed, food pairing and more. Enjoy the episode and leave a review if you like it. It's the best way to support Sugidama Podcast. Kampai!
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?” And he’s absolutely right. So I decided to do a series of episodes focusing on one particular topic, I have mentioned before. And this time it's junmai/honjozo.
Sake Ingredients: Yeast the Unsung Hero of Sake Brewing
The amazing conversation with Andrew Russell, a Britain-born sake brewer, who lives and work in Japan, at the iconic Imada Shuzo. We talked not only about yeast, an unsung hero of sake brewing according to Andrew, but also about his life as kurabito, a brewery worker.
How I Became an IWC Sake Judge
The results of the IWC Sake competition are out! Check them out at the IWC website. This year I happened to be one of the sake judges and it was a tough but amazing experience. Listen to the new episode of Sugidama POdcast to find out how the competition works and about my personal experience as an IWC Sake judge. Kampai!