Sake News from Japan
2020 Annual Japan Sake Awards stopped before gold prizes
The Shokuhin Sangyō Shinbunsha News reports on the part-cancellation of the venerable Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyokai, the National New Sake Awards (officially the Annual Japan Sake Awards). Currently managed jointly the National Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB) and the...
A modern not-brewery looking back to the past
Mayumi Eguchi (introduced as yoppa-raita/ 酔っぱライター, for those of you who appreciate a good Japanese pun) reports for Zakzak on the tiny downtown location where Wakaze brew doburoku and other things that are not technically sake. I was going to introduce Wakaze as a...
Sake from conbini? A top five to try
After a discussion on Twitter about sake in Japanese conbini (convenience stores) this article caught my eye. Epoch Times reports on a top 5 list of sake available at your local conbini. [On closer inspection, looks like the list is from Wow! Japan in July 2019.] Why...
Gin being made in Nagasaki again, by a sake brewery
Yūki Konno reports for the Mainichi Shinbun on the popularity of a new gin made by distilling sake. The city of Sasebo in Nagasaki prefecture is probably best known for Huis Ten Bosch, the Dutch-themed amusement park, or the Kujukushima Aquarium. But it’s also home to...
Japanese sake breweries asking for a helping hand
The Jiji.com news site carries a press release for a new crowdfunding project benefiting sake breweries across Japan. The coronavirus outbreak started to affect the country seriously in March, just as sake breweries were finishing their brewing season, and mass...
Sake pairing with candy – keeping it savoury, yet sweet
Nifty News asks a question that you may never have thought of before – is there candy that can pair with sake? There might just be. The candy in question is from Papa Bubble, a specialist company based in Spain that makes a range of unusually flavoured sweets by hand....
Buy now, drink later – storing sake at -5°C
PR Times carries a press release for a new crowdfunding venture, this time aimed at helping sake brewers survive the pandemic – by maturing their sake at -5°C. It hit its target amount on the first day. The project is the brainchild of specialist sake retailer Sakura...
When even the gods are saying stay home
Sankei News and Yahoo Japan News (via Nishitama Keizei News) both feature breweries appealing to the ultimate authority to ask people to stay at home – the gods. Shiraki Tsunesuke Shōten sake brewery in Gifu Prefecture and Nakaune Saketen sake shop in Kyoto haved...
Thoughts on terroir from a sake brewer making wine
Reporting for Yahoo Japan News, Rie Nishikawa asks: what if a world-famous sake brewer made wine in Burgundy? Banjō Jōzō in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture are already renowned for their Kamoshibito Kuheiji label. Not content with that, they’re about to release wine from...
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