Welcome to Issue #111 of SIN. The sake festival season is in full swing here in Japan. The Niigata Sake no Jin wrapped up a few weeks back, then there was Sake Spring in Kyoto, Kamigata Nihonshu World in Osaka, and Tokyo has just enjoyed a week of indulgence with Craft Sake Week. And that’s just some of the events in the major cities. Sake events are all over the place this time of year and it’s a great time to get out, try some sake and meet some of the brewers. The good news is that they’re not over yet, so if you have the means, get out and enjoy some sake - wherever you are. And now for ..read more

Welcome to Issue#110 of SIN. Last issue we announced the blooming of this year’s cherry blossoms, and now this issue sees them beginning to fall. Such a brief window of Japan’s nature and culture, yet it garners so much attention every year.  Now, perhaps, dear reader, you’re not interested in cherry blossoms. Maybe you’ve come here for the sake! And you know what? That’s okay. So much of Japanese culture is tied into the rich history of sake, but is it entirely necessary to appreciate every aspect of Japanese culture in order to appreciate sake? Not at all. Does an appreciation for the o ..read more

Welcome to Issue #108 of SIN. The calendar says we are two weeks into spring, but aside from the occasional plum blossom sighting, the only indicator that we are in spring is the spotting of spring sake in the liquor store fridges. The seasonality of sake is one of its most appealing features, and something that can bolster its appeal to overseas drinkers. If only the whole world was on the same calendar…Still, it does help in promoting the concept that there is a sake for every season. And now for the news… Everyone Relax! The EU Is Going To Be Okay! Belgium- In our last issue we sounded a ..read more

Welcome to Issue #107 of SIN The weather continues to tease the onset of spring, while still managing to slip in a few cold and wet days just to keep us from putting away the winter wardrobe. And with the promise of spring comes the winding down of brewing for many (but not all) breweries and beginning of sake festival season. With all the favorite events returning and a few new ones appearing on the calendar, it's looking like a great year for getting out and about and meeting new people and trying more sake. And now for the news…  No More Sake For The EU? Belgium- The European Union ..read more

Welcome to Issue #104 of SIN. *Please note - no audio/ podcast on this issue due to logistical reasons. As readers would be well aware, 2024 didn't start off well for Japan with a major earthquake causing major damage and sparking evacuations amid a looming threat of a potential tsunami. The disaster presented yet another reminder of the fragility and reality of life in a country prone to such disasters. The earthquake affected residents and businesses across Ishikawa, Toyama, Niigata, and other regions, and of course meant sake breweries were also part of the fallout. To describe the aftermat ..read more

Happy New Year and welcome to issue #103 of SIN! We hope all our readers are toasting the New Year with a glass of your favorite sake.  This year, 2024, is the Chinese year of the Dragon, so expect all of those sake brands out there with tatsu or ryū (two different readings of the characters 龍 and 竜 used for "dragon") in their name to be hitting the market hard to make the most of their "year". Last year was a great year for getting things back on track post-COVID and it's looking like things are only going to improve this year as the sake world continues to find its feet in the modern ..read more

This is a tech article that is from a previous issue (issue 37) of Sake Industry News. If you feel like supporting our work please consider becoming a paid subscriber. “Seimai-buai“: A Tale Of Misplaced Importance I recall a picture I recently saw of a wedding celebration. The couple was involved in the sake business somewhere outside of Japan, and clearly had access to a wide range of good sake. A dozen or so large bottles sat in an approachably haphazard arrangement in a basket so that the guests could access any of them easily. While the labels were all intact, each bottle had the seim ..read more

Welcome to Issue #102 of SIN. There's a lot of "recognition" happening in this issue. Recognition can come in a number of forms: awards, regional protection, cultural asset protection etc. In an ideal world the mere fact that sake is delicious, affordable and readily available would be enough to entice more drinkers and support the industry. Unfortunately this isn't the case and breweries still need a leg-up anywhere they can get it to gain attention and get into the psyche of the wider general public. So putting aside the validity and, in some cases, frivolity of such recognition, as long as ..read more

Doburoku: I don’t get it… In most issues of Sake Industry News, this column is used for slightly deep dives into technical aspects of sake, and once in a while for observations on trends or industry developments. Once in a while, though, I feel impelled to call out something that does not seem like it will lead anywhere, and does not look like it will be around in a few years,  yet still gets lots of hype. One of those is doburoku. What is it? First and foremost, doburoku is not a legally defined term. It refers to sake that is basically moonshine, in that it is fermented but the rice ..read more

Welcome to Issue #101 of SIN. There was a lot of talk about how this year's summer dragged on longer than usual, but rest assured, that's well and truly over now as the cold winter bite has well and truly started to set in. But as we say every year, cold weather just means more opportunity for kanzake, so bring it on! Time to put up the Christmas tree and get ready for the end of 2023. But for now, here's the news... Historic Hiroshima Recognized Hiroshima- On October 20 the Council for Cultural Affairs announced it would designate nine structures in Hiroshima as National Historic Sites, in ..read more