Sake Today

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Sake Today

The world's first and only English-language sake magazine, now published quarterly and distributed worldwide.

15/11/2024

In Sake Today no. 40 we featured Tsuchida Shuzo, a brewery in Gunma with a beautiful campus. The sake is rather good, too, giving you two reasons to visit!

https://www.saketoday.com/product/issue-no-40/

26/10/2024

Noriyoshi (6th generation president of Nagai Shuzo) smiles and says, “The concept behind this tasting room is, in a sense, to welcome important guests to our family parlor and, together with the brewery staff, provide them the fullest hospitality possible.”

—from our feature in Sake Today 39 on Nagai Brewery in Gunma.

23/10/2024

The food at Shinka, Nagai Shuzo’s elegant tasting room in Gunma, is as beautiful as the space itself.

18/10/2024

“Toward the back of the tasting room is a spacious balcony that offers an expansive view of rice fields growing Yukihotaka, the pride of Kawaba. By design, visitors can enjoy Nagai Shuzō’s sake while luxuriating in the fresh breezes that blow through the fields of rice.“

From our feature on Shinka, the tasting room for Nagai Shuzo, in Sake Todsy no.39.

17/10/2024

The most beautiful sake tasting room in Japan? Nagai Shuzo’s Shinka should be on the short list. We featured this Gunma brewery and its amazing space in Sake Today 39.

12/10/2024

Régis Camus of Heaven Sake together with Kôichi Saura, the president of Urakasumi and 13th generation from his family. Régis was featured in our most recent edition of Sake Today. Urakasumi is one of several excellent breweries he has brought his blending magic to.

Sake Today no. 41 with Régis Camus/Heaven Sake:
https://www.saketoday.com/product/issue-no-41/

Sake Today no. 19 with Urakasumi feature:
https://www.saketoday.com/product/issue-no-19/

08/10/2024

Another sake we were excited to try at Sake Day SF was Ishimoto Shuzo’s Amane, a delicious junmai ginjo poured by none other than Anthony Pascale, the chef-owner of Saiko Sushi, one of San Diego’s best Japanese restaurants.

05/10/2024

Gekkeikan USA’s Mark Zheng-Garratt (whom we featured in ST38) serves up some warmed Black & Gold at Sake Day San Francisco this past weekend. It was awarded Gold at the 2024 Warm Sake Contest in Japan. Yes, it was quite good.

FB: Gekkeikan Sake Folsom Brewery

04/10/2024

The best part of visiting a brewery? Getting to taste their offerings at the end, of course! We hope you enjoyed this series of photos at Otani Shuzo, makers of Takaisumi sake in Tottori, a prefecture known for its devotion to junmai. Again, check out the features in Sake Today 39 (or, even better, visit for yourself!).

02/10/2024

The best biceps workout in the world? Working in a brewery! Here, Otani Shuzo is using air to blow rice from the koshiki to the tank. It spares the workers some backbreaking labor (though not that biceps workout). The kurabito waits and mixes it all up as it comes in to maintain consistency.

27/09/2024

Before we get to the ‘real’ topic here (the precious source of water for Takaisumi sake) check out Yamane’s snazzy denim workwear. Seriously, pinch and expand to see it up close. That’s some fine work; he could wear that to the club!

From our feature on Otani Shuzo in Sake Today 39:

“Once or twice a day a staff member goes to fill up two large containers with 1000L of well water for exclusive use in the brewing process. Incidentally, I’m invited to fetch water with the water tantō, a spry senior staff member named Aiichi Yamane. We drive about ten minutes through a valley, going deeper into the snow-covered countryside. While he fills up the tanks, I get to sip on a cup of well water that tastes fresher than anything I get in the major cities.”

https://www.saketoday.com/product/issue-no-39/

25/09/2024

After soaking and steaming the rice (see previous two posts from Otani Shuzo), brewery workers spread the rice out to steam their faces for some of the most beautiful skin in Japan, a country known for its beautiful skin (except for Godzilla), Michelin-starred conveyor belt sushi, and hallowed practices of good health, such as drinking sake. Actually, the rice is spread out so that it cools evenly before further use in the brewing process.

21/09/2024

Pictured here at Otani Shuzo, featured in ST39, a brewery worker first uses an MJP (mixing jet pump) for rice washing, a machine that's quickly gaining traction in sake breweries. Then comes shinseki (浸漬): soaking the rice in water after washing for a very precise amount of time to absorb a very precise amount of water before steaming. We wrote about these important, but underappreciated steps in ST13.

17/09/2024

Is there not a more iconic sake brewery shot than the koshiki (rice steamer) in action? We had some good ones from the Tottori brewery Otani Shuzo, which we featured in and on the cover of issue 39 of Sake Today. The prefecture is famous for junmai-style sake production, and Otani Shuzo makes some of the best. Its Takaisami brand is one you really must try.

13/09/2024

Our most recent issue of Sake Today featured Régis Camus, a renowned figure in the champagne world who has brought his skills of 'assemblage' to sake as a member of Heavensake, the company behind a lineup of some intriguing blends from hallowed breweries. This issue's regional focus is on Aomori, a quiet, rural prefecture in the deep north that's home to some excellent breweries. One of them is Hachinohe Shuzo, which we showcase. Travel in Aomori? Absolutely–these pastoral areas of Japan have a special charm (not to mention good food). We interview Maksim Polkin of Imadeya in Tokyo about his unusual rise in the sake world. We also have an in-depth feature on San Francisco's Japan Town, whose history is both tragic and triumphant.

For single issues, subscriptions, and back issues, please visit us at: https://www.saketoday.com/get-the-magazine/

10/09/2024

Nihonshu no Hi (Sake Day), which celebrates sake culture in Japan and around the world, is coming up in just a few weeks (officially Oct. 1st)... Which means Sake Day San Francisco is almost here! The first, longest-running, and largest Sake Day celebration outside of Japan, this event in San Francisco's historic Japan Town attracts some of the best sake breweries from Japan and America for a fun-filled day of all-you-can-sample sake. Even better, all proceeds go to a good cause: supporting the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), which we featured in our recent edition of Sake Today.

There are not many tickets remaining; get yours while you still can: https://www.sakeday.com/

The event is organized by True Sake and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC)

07/09/2024

We featured Kamata Knives, one of Tokyo’s best culinary knife retailers and sharpeners, in Sake Today 39. Whether you’re looking for something for yourself or someone else, Kamata’s knives are high-quality, durable pieces of craftsmanship that are reasonably priced. You can even have them custom engraved. We’ve given a few over the years as gifts to friends and family, and they were delightfully received. It’s a family owned and operated store that takes apprenticeship seriously. To them, this is an art and with proper care, their knives should last you a lifetime.

22/08/2024

Earlier this spring, in Sake Today no. 40 we featured the rugged prefecture of Gunma, north of Tokyo. The town of Minakami is arguably Japan’s best outdoor adventure location (with a handful of good spots to enjoy local food and sake after a hard day of play). Our featured brewery was Tsuchida Shuzō, “easily one of the more eclectic breweries you’ll come across in Japan,” as our correspondent wrote. Heading west to Osaka, we visited Adachi Noujo, an intriguing sake brewpub with some of the more unusual sake you’ll drink (it’s fruit infused). Another travel article takes you to Mashiko, a town not far from the Tokyo area known for its pottery and also a great sake brewery with tours, called Tonoike. We interview Xavier Thuizat, the French sommelier who is training a whole generation of somms in the ways of sake. Finally, we look at the future of canned sake and the players involved—it’s an exciting future! If you’re interested in subscribing, buying a single issue, or picking up back issues, please visit our website:

https://www.saketoday.com/get-the-magazine/

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Ide Sake Brewery in Yamanashi held a festive open-kura event over the weekend. The brewery tours here are great! We recently featured Yamanashi in Sake Today no. 37. https://www.saketoday.com/product/issue-no-37/

In Sake Today 34 we featured Hagi ceramic artists. This beautiful tokkuri (sake flask) is by Masanao Kaneta.

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