Sake Blog 
Interview: Kazuhiro Sakurai, Dassai Sake Brewery
I had the pleasure of visiting the Dassai Brewery in January and February of this year for an extended stay. I learned a ton about sake brewing and life in Japan. The Brewery’s Vice President, Kazuhiro Sakurai, was kind enough to sit down with me and talk about Dassai and all things sake.
Kazuhiro [...]
Interview: Junko Igarashi, Sake Sommelier
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Junko Igarashi who is a sake sommelier at Jewel Bako restaurant in New York City’s East Village. I wanted to ask Junko, From her unique perspective as a sake sommelier, regarding her feelings about all things sake.
Interview: Koji Kawakami, Yoshinogawa Sake Brewery
With Yoshinogawa President Koji KawakamiFounded in 1548, Yoshinogawa Sake Brewery is the oldest in Niigata Prefecture. That is 462 years of sake making in Niigata!
I recently had the distinct honor of sitting down with Yoshinogawa’s 19th generation company President, Mr. Koji Kawakami, to ask him so questions about thoughts on sake, pairing sake [...]
Interview: Kazuo Matsuura, Honke Matsuura Brewery
With Kazuo Matsuura and NarutotaiHonke Matsuura Brewery makes the famous Narutotai brand sake. When I recently met the brewery President, Dr. Kazuo Matsuura, he kindly agreed to answer some questions about his sake, his brewery and his native Tokushima. Narutotai is wildly popular in the United States and I wanted to learn [...]
Interview: Jihei Isawa, Katsuyama Brewery
Meeting Mr. IsawaI had the distinct honor of meeting the president of Miyagi Prefecture’s Katsuyama Sake Brewery, Mr. Jihei Isawa, earlier this year. I tasted several of his sakes and can report they were a revelation! Isawa-san was kind enough to sit down for an interview and he was enthusiastic to [...]
Interview: Yohei Ito, Akita Seishu Brewery
Late last year, had the opportunity to meet Mr. Yohei Ito of Akita Seishu Sake Brewery. Akita Seishu is well known for many delicious sakes including both the Kariho and Dewatsuru brands. Mr. Ito was kind enough to agree to answer some questions about the sake world from his point of view.
Interview: Jouji Sato, Hinomaru Brewery
Mr. Sato President of Hinomaru BreweryI was delighted to get the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Jouji Sato, president of Akita’s Hinomaru Jozo Sake Brewery. Sato-san was in New York promoting his sakes and my friend Linda Noel Kawabata arranged for us to talk. Linda is the USA Brand Manager for [...]
Interview: Chizuko Niikawa, Sommelier & Cup Sake Fan
Cup Sake Fan Chizuko NiikawaOur friend Chizuko-Niikawa-Helton of SakeDiscoveries.com is a famous Sake Sommelier and a fan of “cup sake”.
I recently caught up with Chizuko-san at the beautiful
Interview: Maki Osugi, Cup Sake Blogger
I first discovered Maki Osugi’s ‘One Cup Sake’ Blog, bq69 collectibles, when I was searching the internet looking for any information I could find about Japanese one cup style sake.
You can’t imagine my surprise when I wrote to Maki-san and discovered he spoke fluent english! Below is the interview!
Interview: Sake Social’s Marc Smookler
Well, it’s been the 21st Century for a few years now and while we don’t yet have flying cars in every garage, there has been some pretty cool stuff happening! We’ve elected the first African American President, driven remote controlled rovers on the surface of Mars, and even invented Twitter!
As for [...]
Interview: Paul Tanguay
Mr. Paul Tanguay is well known as a real sake authority and a go-to guy for sake education in the US. I first met him when he was Corporate Beverage Director for SushiSamba, and developing a special interest in Sake.
Interview: Lannie Ahn at Izakaya Ten
Izakaya Ten is a great Japanese style sake pub in Chelsea. Becoming ever more sake friendly, they recently expanded their sake list and also expanded their hours (Thursday-Saturday ’til 3:00am). Who’s behind all this wonderful sake expansion? It’s Lannie Ahn, Izakaya Ten owner, but also a true sake aficionado. I recently sat down with Lannie to discuss the world of sake.
Interview: Dewey Weddington at SakeOne
My recent trip to SakéOne in Forest Grove, Oregon gave me a chance to visit with Dewey Weddington, their Vice President of Marketing. Dewey was kind enough to answer some of my questions about SakéOne and the sake industry.
Interview: Chris Pearce and the Joy of Sake
The annual Joy of Sake tasting event is considered the “not to be missed” sake event of the year. Luckily, there is still time to get a ticket for this veritable sake-palooza, which is happening this year in New York on Sept 25th. I’ve enthusiastically attended the Joy of Sake for the last [...]
Interview: Johnnie and Taiko of Sake Nomi
Johnnie and Taiko Stroud have something really unique in Seattle. I haven’t yet had the chance to visit, but it sounds like a little piece of paradise… they operate a Sake store called Sake Nomi, that also happens to be a sake tasting bar! How cool is that? Johnnie and Taiko were [...]
