UrbanSake.com » Interviews

Interview: Kazuhiro Sakurai, Dassai Sake Brewery

Timothy — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 13:29:52 +0000

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 Sakurai

Timothy Sullivan: Tell me a bit about your brewery… how many workers do you have and what’s your production output?

Kauzhiro Sakurai: We have 42 workers total. Last year we produced 4,300 koku. But this year we’re expanding. This year, I think we will make 5,500 Koku.

Timothy Sullivan: How would you describe the style of your sake?

Kazuhiro Sakurai: It’s smooth and clear and but with a very long finish …and very approachable. Most sake out there is difficult to understand, but our character is easy to understand. Not too difficult, but it has elegance and a deep beauty.

Timothy Sullivan: Your Brewery made the decision to produce only Junmai Daiginjo grade sake. Why did your brewery make that decision?

Kauzhiro Sakurai: It’s really quite simple. We want customers who who drink our sake to feel deliciousness and happiness. We found that we were selling 100% of our Junmai Daiginjo style, so it was natural for us to make more of this style. Over time, we realized, selling Junmai Daiginjo was the best style for us. At first, of course we sold a Junmai and a Junmai Ginjo, too, but we noticed customers just wanted to drink the most delicious sake from each brewery, so we focused on that market. For us it was an evolution of what our customers wanted.

Timothy Sullivan: Your brewery was the first to use a high tech centrifuge to separate the lees from the sake. I saw the machine here and it looks very high tech and complex. What role does technology play in sake making? and what role does tradition play?

Kazuhiro Sakurai: For us, it’s just one kind of tool. For example, a good restaurant chef doesn’t use just their hands – they use a food processor or other tools. For me, both technology and tradition are very important. Our goal is simply to make the most delicious sake, so we pay attention to both. Actually, a person’s hand is very sensitive, so for making Koji and making the moto, we need the human touch. But for example rice polishing and sake pressing, the technology is better than the human hand.

Kazuhiro Sakurai

Timothy Sullivan: Sometimes I get food pairing requests for sake. Do you have any food pairing recommendations for your sakes?

Kauzhiro Sakurai: Honestly we think the best pairing is our local specialty, Fugu, or blowfish. The Sparkling Nigori is wonderful with Fugu Kara-age. And of course, I know that it’s very difficult to get fugu in the US, so I recommend that Dassai 23 and Dassai 39 is paired with white raw fish sashimi and roasted vegetables such as roasted asparagus. That is a very good match with my sake. As for Nigori and our sparkling Nigori, they are both good with oily foods such as fried calamari, fried oyster or pork belly. Our Dassai 50 is the most versatile and that goes well with a wide range of foods including Korean food – even the spicy kind.

Timothy Sullivan: What is your message to American consumers of your sake. What would you like them to know about your brewery and your brand.

Kazuhiro Sakurai: For us, the people who live in Yamaguchi, our local town, or who live in Tokyo, New York or France – for us we approach them as a customer in the same way. Our message is simple: “Enjoy our sake and make your life happy!” We want people to enjoy their happiest moments with our sake. That’s why we work hard to make the most delicious sake we can.

Timothy Sullivan: What do you think are the most important steps that should be taken to introduce sake to more people and grow the market?

Kauzhiro Sakurai: This is related to the previous question. People like very simple and very delicious sake – and that is what we are making and we have to work to introduce this to new people. We don’t think we have to brew sake for the American palate, sake for the Japanese palate or sake for the French palate. For us, it’s the same thing. I think beauty is a universal concept and beautiful sake can be recognized by any palate.

Timothy Sullivan: How do see the future of sake in the USA specifically?

Kazuhiro Sakurai: There is a very big opportunity. For those types of people who enjoy many types of food, I feel strongly that they would be open to trying and enjoying sake. I think people’s tastes are evolving – and as their tastes get more broad, there is more room for sake to be successful. I think that trend is happening now in the United States. I think the future is very good for Sake in the U.S.

*******

My Special thanks to Sakurai-san for talking with me about sake! I learned so much at this brewery! Stay tuned for many more posts on Dassai sake!!

Interview: Junko Igarashi, Sake Sommelier

Timothy — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:10:37 +0000

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.

Junko Igarashi

Timothy Sullivan: how did you first get interested in sake?

Junko Igarashi: My grandfather owned a small sake shop in Japan. It’s not existing anymore but when I was young I visited my grandparents in the countryside and I liked to hang out in his store watching the bottles and the beautiful labels with all their different colors. I also enjoyed the smells of sake when the adults did tastings. I didn’t have any relationship to sake until I started working in restaurants when I moved to the USA. Now, as an adult, when I see some sakes, it is kind of a flashback experience for me. I look at some bottles or labels and I think – Hey, I know this! It takes me back to my childhood.

Timothy Sullivan: Tell me about your sake work at Jewel Bako. What is a typical evening like for you here? What are your duties?

Junko Igarashi: I recommend sake of course! A lot of people here know a little bit about sake, but not much. Other people say, “Oh I’ve tried this and I want something similar”. And let’s say they tried Wakatake at some other place and wanted something similar. I would try to recommend something like that.

Timothy Sullivan: Would you say most of the customers you’re serving have had exposure to sake before?

Junko Igarashi: Most of them are beginners and they have a little bit of knowledge about sake, but they sometimes need some help. More than half of the people don’t know what they want to order so, I try to recommend the sake for them. Sometimes I give them a small taste to make sure what I’m recommending suits their palate. Everybody has different tastes so I think having a taste is the best way to ensure a good recommendation

Jewel Bako

Timothy Sullivan: what are your goals for the sake program at Jewel Bako?

Junko Igarashi: A lot of customers who come into the restaurant know a lot about wine and fish, so they have good palates, but I want to help our customers develop their knowledge of sake. I want those people to understand how wonderful sake can be. If people understand wine, then I think they can understand sake. For example, there are people who know about daiginjo sake, and I want to introduce them to yamahai or to a new style like sparkling sake. I want show people that sake has many different styles and varieties.

Timothy Sullivan: Have you noticed any sake trends with your customers?

Junko Igarashi: Yes. When I started here about six years ago, Niigata style of sake was very popular. Such as Kubota or Hakkaisan. But now seasonal nama sake is very popular. People are asking me – do you have seasonal Nama? Currently we have 95% American clients, and usually 5% Japanese clients. Their tastes are different. American people tend to want to start the meal with something sparkling so more and more they are asking me about sparkling sake.

Timothy Sullivan: What do you do when you get people who come in and say “I’m a total beginner don’t know where to start… what you recommend?”

Junko Igarashi: I will give them two styles of sake to taste; one perhaps a very floral daiginjo and another such as a full-bodied junmai style sake. A lot of people ask me for dry but then they pick a sweeter sake. I think it’s important to taste. I give them a taste of two different styles such as honjozo and daiginjo. I explain the sakes that they are tasting and then let them decide.

Timothy Sullivan: what are some of the core food pairings that you recommend here at Jewel Bako?

Junko Igarashi: We have a fresh octopus sashimi with green tea salt and yuzu. I recommend pairing this with a clean ginjo sake. We also have fatty tuna or a yellowtail belly. Those I pair with a sake with more acidity. For example Kagatobi Junmai Ginjo. When the chef makes Omakase, he always makes seared anago and I want to pair that with a high-quality daiginjo such as Dassai 23. Of course, we aslo have some misoyaki which is very rich and I recommend a pairing with naraman muroka junmai. It’s delicious!

Timothy Sullivan: Thank you very much for taking the time today!

*******

Interview: Koji Kawakami, Yoshinogawa Sake Brewery

Timothy — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:49:12 +0000

With Yoshinogawa President Koji Kawakami

Founded 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 with food and this hopes for the future of sake in the USA.

Timothy Sullivan: You have the oldest sake brewery in Niigata. Growing up did you always know it would be your destiny to run a sake brewery?

at the Brewery
Koji Kawakami: I am an only child and our house was located right next to our sake brewery. Growing up, I never thought about other jobs outside of working at our sake brewery. Some people have asked me if I wanted to get away from the brewery and do something else but, no, I’ve always been very happy to be here. When I was younger, the brewery was my playground and the brewery workers were my friends. So for me, it was only natural that Yoshinogawa Sake Brewery was the place to be.

Timothy Sullivan: When you travel and introduce your sake to people, how do you describe the key points of your style of sake?

Koji Kawakami: I describe it like this: When you have your first sip my of sake, I want people to immediately think about having another cup.

Timothy Sullivan: There are a lot of successful sake breweries in Niigata. What makes that region of Japan so good for sake brewing?

Daiginjo
Koji Kawakami: Back in the 1970′s all the Brewers in Niigata got together and decided as a group to make a commitment to brew really good sake. My Grandfather was at one point head of the Niigata Prefecture Sake Brewer’s Association and that was one of his goals, too… to focus on making excellent sake.

Niigata is the only prefecture that has a prefectural government run Sake Research Institute that supports research to promote better sake making. I feel this decision by the Niigata sake brewers to work together to make better sake helped establish Niigata as a center for outstanding sake.

Timothy Sullivan: I recently learned that Niigata is one of the largest rice producers – second only after Hokkaido. Do you use a lot of locally grown rice in your sake?

Koji Kawakami: Of the sake we make for retail sale, 100% of it uses local Niigata rice.

Timothy Sullivan: What strains of Niigata sake rice do you use in your sake?

Koji Kawakami: Gohyakumangoku. Also koshi-tanrei which is a relatively new hybrid made from Gohyakumangoku and Yamadanishiki. It’s a hybrid that was originally developed by the Niigata Prefectural Sake Research Institute I mentioned earlier as a new sake rice for Niigata.

Timothy Sullivan: What year was Koshi-tanrei first used in your sake?

Niigata Sake Rice
Koji Kawakami: We started using Koshi-tanrei in our sake about 8 years ago for the first time.

Timothy Sullivan: I want to ask a little bit about koji and yeast. I heard that you make your own yeast at your brewery?

Koji Kawakami: We have a subsidiary company that makes yeast – one of only 5 in Japan. We provide yeast to bread companies in addition to wine, and of course sake yeast. Having immediate access to the freshest yeast makes for great sake. Beyond being the freshest, our sake yeast is also proprietary.

Timothy Sullivan: I also heard you have 3 different koji rooms at your brewery. Why three koji rooms and how are they different?

Koji Kawakami: We have one Koji making machine which we developed in 1963, so that is in one room. We have another koji making room dedicated to for finest “all hand made” sakes. Lastly, we also have a state of the art koji making room at our new brewery facility that opened three years ago.

Washing Sake Rice

Timothy Sullivan: I get a lot of questions from Americans about pairing sake with food. Do you have any food pairing recommendations specifically for your sake?

Koji Kawakami: It’s a difficult question because there is a lot of food that I think pairs well with Yoshinogawa sake but there is so much variation in styles and types of food and it ends up being a personal experience for each individual. I will say that I believe sake is an ideal beverage for food pairing

Timothy Sullivan: Do you have any message for American consumers of your sake?

Koji Kawakami: Not just for Americans but also for Japanese people as well, my message is that sake should be a product that allows people to enjoy themselves and have fun. Too often in the sake world you might hear “don’t” do this with sake or “never” serve sake this way. In my view people should drink sake the way they like it, enjoy sake for what it is and not be limited by too many rules. It’s good to think outside the box and enjoy sake in your own way and share it with everybody.

Echigo Junmai

Timothy Sullivan: What’s the future of the sake market in the US? what are your thoughts on where we’re headed?

Koji Kawakami: Even though sake has been available in the States for a while now, in my opinion it is still very much the beginning. As I mentioned before, sake is an ideal beverage for pairing with all kinds of food and I know this trend will continue. It’s very exciting and fun for me to see where this will go. As more Americans get to drink it, there are a lot of options out there for sake right now. Before in the States, we were limited to a much smaller sake selection, but now because there is a larger selection of sakes out there, it allows Americans to experience a variety of great flavors and experiment with pairing and, again, to think outside the box when it comes to enjoying sake. We’re still at the start and there is a long way to go, but it will happen. I’m very excited and happy about it!

Timothy Sullivan: I am too! Thank you very much for taking the time today!

*******

To learn more about Mr. Kawakami’s Yoshinogawa Sakes, please visit my Sake Notebook page for Yoshinogawa. Kanpai!

Interview: Kazuo Matsuura, Honke Matsuura Brewery

Timothy — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:24:47 +0000

With Kazuo Matsuura and Narutotai

Honke 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 more…

Timothy Sullivan: What is the significance of red snapper “tai” fish to your brewery?

Kazuo Matsuura: Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture is famous for its sea of Naruto Strait Whirlpools. And a sea bream (we call it TAI in Japanese) which grow up in strong whirlpools is very popular as a delicious fish. We hope to brew special sake that goes well with sea bream dishes. That is the origin of our brand name NARUTOTAI.

Narutotai Ginjo Nama Genshu

Timothy Sullivan: Your Narutotai Ginjo Nama Genshu is unique in so many ways – and a very popular sake with Americans: Unique bottle, richness, flavor, strength – what are your comments on this sake?

Kazuo Matsuura: I think this sake is clear and strong taste and Americans can enjoy its taste.

Timothy Sullivan: How do you balance tradition VS technology in your brewery? what role does each play in your sake brewing process?

Kazuo Matsuura: I believe that tradition and new technology will never conflict. My father’s policy is “温故知新(Onko-Chishin)” ; that is the Analects of Confucius. It means to adopt advanced technology into old tradition. And my management policy is “抜苦与楽(Bakku-Yoraku)”: it comes from the teachings of Buddhism. It means to eliminate the suffering of the mind and give pleasure. I want to produce sake that makes many people being happy. Therefore, I think if our brewing technology will contribute to customer’s enjoyment, those will never conflict.

Narutotai Junmai Ginjo Yamahai Genshu

Timothy Sullivan: Your Brewery is located in Tokushima prefecture. What is special from Tokushima that influences your sake? Water? Rice? Climate? food?

Kazuo Matsuura: In particular Climate and food I think. Tokushima’s food culture prefers relatively strong and sweet taste from the past. I think Narutotai’s sake has been made to go well with such a food culture.

Timothy Sullivan: What are your hopes for the sake market in the United States? Sake have a happy future here in the USA?

Kazuo Matsuura: I hope American people will understand the enchantment of sake more and enjoy sake. Today, I have just heard that “Umami (Flavor)” of sake goes
better with fish dishes than that of wine physically.

Timothy Sullivan: What is your message to American consumers enjoying your sake? What would you like American drinkers of Narutotai to know about your brewery and Brand?

Kazuo Matsuura: Sake is part of Japanese culture. If you will understand our culture including sake and food, you can enjoy more and more. We appreciate with your patronage NARUTOTAI. We hope American drinker will have a happy time with our sake.

Timothy Sullivan: Mastuura-san, I’m sure American Drinkers will have a happy time with your sake indeed! It’s delicious! thank you!

Interview: Jihei Isawa, Katsuyama Brewery

Timothy — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:25:36 +0000

Meeting Mr. Isawa
I 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 introduce me to his line of “Modern Shudo” sakes. What follows is a discussion on his views of all things sake.

Timothy Sullivan: When you say your sake is “Modern Shudo”, what do you mean by that?

Jihei Isawa:“Modern Shudo” is based on the idea of how the samurai enjoyed sake back in the time when Katsuyama Brewery was founded. At that time, sake was enjoyed with a free spirit and more comfortable, flexible style. Of course, the time after WWII was challenging for price and quality of sake. But for me, our style is representative of the Edo period, so I want to revive that sense of fun and enjoyment of sake. I want to revive Edo style for our time.

Akatsuki
Timothy Sullivan: You mentioned before about the history of your brewery dating back to the famous Date Masamune. What aspects of your sake tie you to Sendai? What is special about your region that is reflected in your sake?

Jihei Isawa: This is a very nice question. Actually Sendai is a very well known city or region which produces good rice. For example, 2/3 of the rice available in Edo was Sendai rice, so the production of Sendai rice determined the price of rice in Edo…

Timothy Sullivan: …and at that time, rice was used as money, right?…

Jihei Isawa: Yes, rice was used as money. so that is why the Date Masamune Family earned a lot. Also, this tradition continues to this day. Sendai is still famous for producing rice. That is why our sake enhances the purity of the sweetness of rice. We eat good rice every day, so we know what good rice tastes like. That is why in Miyagi most of the brewery try to express the pure essence of rice.

Timothy Sullivan: What kind of sake rice is grown in your prefecture?

Jihei Isawa: A popular eating rice is sasanishiki and hitomebore is also popular. And I have a junmai named “EN” and this sake uses hitomebore rice grown in Sendai area. The polishing rate is 55%. Sake rice is bigger that this kind of eating rice, so a 55% milling rate is the maximum we can get from an eating rice. EN Junami won a prize for best Junmai in Miyagi prefecture.

20 years ago, Miyagi announced it was the “Prefecture of Junmaishu”. With this movement, Miyagi became very well known as a prefecture for junmaishu. Our brewery is a leader in making sake that uses eating rice.

Katsuyama Den
Timothy Sullivan: How long have you been exporting sake to the United states?

Jihei Isawa: for about 3 years.

Timothy Sullivan: So you’re just starting export…

Jihei Isawa: Yes, just starting.

Timothy Sullivan: Do you have any special message for American drinkers of your sake?

Jihei Isawa: Please compare sakes with wines. A strong point for sake is the 5th taste: Umami. To fit with the taste of Umami, sake is really the best. Wine is not so easy to pair with Umami because of it’s strong acidity. Sake has acidity, too, but it’s much lower. Acidity in sake is generally 0.4 – 2.0. but in wine it is 4.5 – 15.0. Now, that’s a lot.

I recommend that American drinkers watch for the taste of umami in Sake. At first they may not understand it – it takes time and it takes training – but in my opinion it’s worth it!

Timothy Sullivan: so now you’re in the American market and you’re introducing your sakes in the US. Where do you see the sake industry in 5 years or 10 years ?

Jihei Isawa: Sake has a happy future! Many chefs began to create food that follows the “Umami” flavor, but they don’t have a good alcohol for pairing with Umamai – they only have wines. With wine, we can’t taste the real umamai – so in the future, I believe they must have sake to pair with their foods.

Also, I think with the expansion of sake, customers will have more choice. This is a key point. Actually “shudo” lets people enjoy themselves in their style, in their taste. It will be more exciting on the table. Consumers will have more options.

Katsuyama En
Timothy Sullivan: One last question – I learned today that you are also a wine sommelier in Japan. I don’t know many sake makers who are also wine experts – what inspired you to become a wine sommelier?

Jihei Isawa: I had a restaurant in Paris and Florence. In Paris from 1994 – 2004 and Italy from 2001-2008. So that is why. Also, we have a cooking school in Japan. It’s the biggest cooking school in the Touhoku area and we are a sister school with Burgundy wine school. Sometimes in an effort to explain the sake, I take ideas from the wine world. It’s much easier to explain for consumers. Also now, even in Japan, many people drink more wines and if i talk to them in the vocabulary of wine, it helps them to understand more easily. If I use only sake technical terms, they’ll never understand. If I start to talk with a wine vocabulary, they understand immediately.

Timothy Sullivan: So in your opinion wine is a bridge to explaining and understanding sake?

Jihei Isawa: Yes, but on the other hand, many wine sommelier in Japan, don’t drink sake. But if I explain sake with their wine terms, they will begin to drink it. In this way, I can convert a wine sommelier to a sake sommelier and a sake sommelier to a wine sommelier!

Timothy Sullivan: Isawa-san, thank you for your time!

Interview: Yohei Ito, Akita Seishu Brewery

Timothy — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:12:56 +0000

Mr. Yohei Ito
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.

Timothy Sullivan: How do you describe your sake to people drinking it for the first time? What is your message to U.S. consumers of your sakes?

Yohei Ito: The history of Japanese sake overlaps with 2,000 years of Japanese history. Please enjoy the wonderful taste of Japanese sake which has been perfected through this long history. At the same time, Japanese Sake continues to evolve. To this end, new types of Japanese sake are being imported to the US. I hope that you have found your favorite Japanese sake.

Timothy Sullivan: What is special about Akita Prefecture that gives your sake it’s unique character?　
　
Yohei Ito: AKITA prefecture, similar to other places known for Japanese sake, is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Amongst those, there are three things that are particularly unique to Akita Prefecture:

1) Abundance of water sources
The west side of Akita prefecture is coastal while the surrounding north, south and east sides are mountainous. Therefore the rain that falls upon Akita seeps into the surrounding mountains and becomes underground water, which then becomes water sources with many characteristics. These different types of water sources, when used in making sake, create unique taste of the Akita sake.

Our brewery uses the water source from the Dewa mountain range which is a very soft type of water. With this water we use a process such as “Kimoto jikomi” which is a long-term low-temperature fermentation to create a very refined tasting junmai shu.
In addition, we also use a water, rich in minerals, that surfaced from the bottom of the ocean 15,000,000 years ago. This water is used for making sake that is stronger and more vibrant in taste.

2) Abundant variety of sake rice
Akita prefecture is not simply known for rice production but also for its abundant rice varieties. Many types of rice are produced for sake . To name a few, akitasakekomach, miyamanishiki, akinosei, misatonishiki gin no sei, kame no o, are produced as sake rice. In addition there are certain rice that are only grown and harvested in Akita. Such rice also provide character and uniqueness to Akita sake.

3) The existence of a Toji group
In Akita prefecture, we have a group/association of Toji called the “San nai Toji.” Such an association is critical to the improvement/enhancement and sustainability of sake brewing techniques. More recently we see more heirs to breweries also become a toji. This unique environment in Akita has facilitated an opportunity for elder toji and younger successors to collectively compete for better techniques.

Timothy Sullivan: What is the most important factor that influences the taste of your sake? rice? water? koji? Brewing Technique? etc…?

Yohei Ito: The key ingredients that influence the outcome of the taste of our brewery’s sake is not surprisingly the quality of water and the way in which the koji is made, the temperature and length of fermentation. By leveraging the humidity and the cold winter climate, we try to achieve refined flavorful sake.

Timothy Sullivan: What role does modern technology play in your sake brewing? What role does tradition play?

Yohei Ito: Today’s technology creates an environment with improved repeatability which allows us to develop a more superior yeast and koji during the brewing processes. While the traditional techniques (such as kimoto or yamahai style) provide the unique characteristics to the sake’s taste.

Timothy Sullivan: What would your advice be for any Americans who want to learn about sake?

Yohei Ito: Given the complexity of Japanese law and regulations, it seems that it would be hard for an American to learn about Japanese sake. The intriguing part of Japanese sake, similarly to wine, is the variety of tastes that are created from the many regions’ unique history, environment and the brewery. Therefore, I believe that in having an interest and learning the background of the Japanese sake will enhance the drinking experience making the sake even more delicious.

Timothy Sullivan: How do you see the future of sake in the USA?

Yohei Ito: In more metropolitan cities like NYC, there is a growing number of people that love Japanese sake. However for the majority of the people in the US sake remains an unknown beverage. For this reason, I believe that we are merely just beginning to see the potential of sake in the US. For my part, with great enthusiasm, I would like to continue to convey the joy and tastiness of sake to those who have yet to discover. My hope is that someday soon, more Americans are able to identify their favorite sake and effortlessly select from the various types; and I hope to contribute to this effort.

*********

Thank you Ito-san! Very interesting, thoughtful and informative answers! I am happy to hear you are enthusiastic about the future of sake in the U.S.! I am too. I hope many more people here in the States will taste your Kariho and Dewatsuru Brands of sake. Kanpai!

Interview: Jouji Sato, Hinomaru Brewery

Timothy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:05:26 +0000

Mr. Sato President of Hinomaru Brewery
I 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 Akita Sake Promotion and Export Council (ASPEC) and she translated all my questions and the answers from Sato-san.

This was a really fun and unique opportunity to meet one-on-one with a sake brewer and ask just about anything. I had met Sato-san before at tastings and events, but this was my first opportunity to sit down and talk at length. Needless to say, I learned so much – Sato-san is a charming, engaging personality and his true love for sake and his native Akita Prefecture was easy to feel. He’s dedicated to making the best sake – and I think the career he had in banking, before taking over the family brewery, give him a special vantage point.

Manabita Kimoto Junmai Ginjo
Timothy Sullivan: Do you have a message for American Drinkers of your sake?

Jouji Sato: The first thing I would say is I want them to try my sake!! Try Manabito Jumai Daiginjo and Manabito Kimoto Junmai Ginjo!

Timothy Sullivan: How difficult was it to choose which of your sakes to import?

Jouji Sato: It was very difficult. It’s complicated because one company, one brand, one importer is the rule. We weren’t thinking so much about that when we first contemplated coming to the United States. In retrospect we may have been naive. I did not want to get behind the times.

When you export to a foreign country it’s a very complicated process. We actually tried our first exports 10 years ago. At that time, we would have never imagined that this New York Market for Sake would expand as it did.

Timothy Sullivan: 10 years ago?

Jouji Sato: Yes. 10 years ago I lost my Father suddenly. I was working as an investment banker and I had to suddenly quit the bank and take over the family brewery. At that time I never would have dreamt there would be any opportunity to travel internationally for sake business. When I left the bank, I thought for sure that was the end of my traveling – I actually put my passport away. So, this interview right here, right now – and what’s happening with the blossoming of the New York / USA sake market – I could never even have imagined this 10 years ago.

Timothy Sullivan: How important is the New York/American market? I hear from Brewers that sake sales are increasing in the US market, but is that just a drop in the bucket in regards to overall sales? or is this emerging American market a true help?

Jouji Sato: I think there are only one or two breweries for whom the tremendous investment to export to America has really paid off. For the most part, most brewers export well under 10% of their production to foreign markets. But I think a handful of brewers export up to 20% of their production. At Hinomaru Brewery we export 3% of our production – I’m aiming for 10%.

Timothy Sullivan: Do you brew your sake differently to be geared towards your local Akita market? …or geared towards the larger Japanese market? …or even geared towards foreign markets?

Manabito Junmai Daiginjo
Jouji Sato: That’s a great question. Now, the sad thing is we can’t brew only for our local market anymore. We have to approach brewing our sake with a national market in mind, so we’re thinking of Tokyo, which is our primary market. In regards to the sake I sell here in the US and the sake I sell in Akita, Japan – I brew different products. I don’t know about otherbreweries but for me, it’s different products for different markets.

For example, when my sake is tasted in New York, I want it to express and carry with it Japanese culture, so I’m bringing a very sophisticated sake to this market. I don’t have confidence that the sake that is enjoyed by locals in Akita would be successful in the New York or US market because it’s a hard sell in a market like Tokyo. On the other hand, the interesting thing is that the Americans are so open and receptive, that the likelihood of succeeding with even the local Akita style sakes is more of a possibility here than in Japan.

The food in Akita is very salty, so we have to make something for the local Akita market that is slightly sweet to balance with the local cuisine. We bring that sake to Tokyo or other parts of japan – it doesn’t fit their cuisine. But as we’re eating here in New York or other parts of the United States the Japanese restaurants are not serving “regional” food – it’s more “homogenized” in the US. And for us the greatest joy is the abundance of other cuisines in America for which sake is such an ideal match. Cheese dishes, seafood dishes, vegetarian dishes and the wonderful eclectic food here.

Timothy Sullivan: Since you brew a sake targeted to the American market, have you made any changes or adjustments to the profile of the sake so far?

Sato-san at Joy of Sake 2009
Jouji Sato: We’ve only been exporting this sake for a year, so we haven’t done any of that yet. But for me, more than considering changing our recipe is to continue to make our sakes that hold up so well at room temperature . Because I have observed that room temperature is the temperature that most of the sake is going to be stored, like wines. So my observation is that you can’t be 100% successful in this market if you don’t have a sake that stores like wine, and can be served chilled or warmed. The American customer will demand that.

My sake is very unique in that both the Manabito Jumai Daiginjo and the Manabito Kimoto Junmai Ginjo are matured in air tight bottles at very low temperature at the brewery for a full two years. So they have two years to become exquisitely balanced, round, rich, smooth and stable. They hold up beautifully to whatever cuisine they encounter. Whereas a sake that is released young is going to be constantly effected by the variable temperatures. In brewing Manabito sake we aim for the perfect acidity levels that also help the sake remain stable regardless of the storage conditions in wine stores and restaurants. I’m confident that my sakes are incredibly delicious and incredibly stable.

Timothy Sullivan: Since you had years of experience as an investment banker in the business world outside of the brewery before becoming president, is there anything you changed in the production process to modernize things or did you stick with traditional brewing methods only?

Jouji Sato: We have an expression in Japanese… “There are things worth changing and things worth keeping the same.” Regardless of my desire to have my sake be popular in New York or Tokyo, there are things about the production of sake that cannot stray from tradition.

For example, the yeast. In my Grandfather’s day, it was the milling of the rice that allowed them to attain more delicate flavors. Nowadays there are many more types of yeast available. I don’t want to come out with a new sake every year using a different yeast. We use a limited number of yeasts that we traditionally used in the brewery. For me, the more important thing is how we handle the rice. So if you ask me, my joy comes from playing with the rice combinations… Earlier you asked me about regionality – that’s where I want to hold on to regionality because Akita is the Empire of Rice. I love using those rice blends to create elegant, aromatic yet stable sake. Having said that, I still enjoy the challenge of creating new things.

Timothy Sullivan: When was your brewery founded?

Jouji Sato: Hinomaru was founded in 1689. We are commemorating our 320th year. During the War we had to stop production for a little while – we had no rice for brewing.

Timothy Sullivan: How many brewery works do you have?

Jouji Sato: We have ten workers.

Timothy Sullivan: Only ten?!

Jouji Sato: At one time, we had 80 workers. Before the War, we were one of the largest breweries in the Tohoku region. The Second world war brought a lot of destruction to the area and to our brewery. So after the War, my father had to start from zero, or even less than zero, to rebuild.
Hinomaru Kura Building
What was left was a single Kura building and the entitlement to our Brewery Name “Hinomaru”. Hinomaru is also how we Japanese refer to our National Flag.

320 years ago when the name was given our brewery was the pride of the country. But we have suffered the political consequences of the name “Hinomaru” is also what went down with the War. So after the Japanese lost the War, anything to do with the flag was indicative of our defeat. But my father didn’t want to give up the name and continued to brew sake under the name “Hinomaru”. Even within Japan just the Brewery name is part of the pride and the burden we carry. It should be the thing that gives us most pride, but when the name of your business is the name of the National Flag, it has a burden too.

Timothy Sullivan: Do you have any final message for your American consumers?

Jouji Sato: I’ve only been in the American market for just a year, so many people may have not had a chance to know I’m in the market. But I would love to ask the American Public – once you’ve had a chance to try my sake please tell me what you think of it! Because with that in mind, you can be sure that I’ll do my best to make the sake from my brewery that you will always love. When I sell my sake in Japan, inside the box is a little postcard. In America, there is not box, it’s just the bottle… so I can’t put a postcard in. But today we’ve got the internet! You can leave a comment at the ASPEC web-site: info@ aspec-sake.com or even with you Timothy at urban sake. I value every comment!

When you’re a brewery of our size – we’re the 5th smallest sake brewery in Akita – the most valuable thing we offer our customers is ourselves. Some sake may be cheap or new and different, but the most important thing in the long run is the Brewery..the people…. so when they taste Manabito sake, I want them to taste the brewery and the spirit of “manabito” or “true integrity”… and maybe a little bit of my quirky personality, too!

Timothy Sullivan: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions… I feel like i’ve learned so much!

Jouji Sato: I could answer only because you asked. Thanks for asking!

Timothy Sullivan: Thank you, Sato-san!

Timothy with Sato-san

Interview: Chizuko Niikawa, Sommelier & Cup Sake Fan

Timothy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:55:20 +0000

Cup Sake Fan Chizuko Niikawa
Our 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 Ippudo Ramen Restaurant and asked her some questions about cup sake. She provides us her unique perspective on this fun and fashionable way to drink sake!

Q: Before you studied to be a sake sommelier, did you have any experience drinking one cup sake in Japan? What was your impression?

Chizuko Niikawa: I had cup sake just a couple of times when I was in my early 20s for experience when I was in college. I don’t remember what sake I had, but definitely I hated it! Then I was convinced that One Cup Sake is cheesy, bad sake only meant for men over 50! (sumimasen men over 50 years old!….) because I had seen many drunk old men always drinking One Cup Sake on the train platform in my hometown very often when I was in high school. They smelled so bad! However, at the same time, I was longing to try One Cup Sake in a train someday like them because they seemed to be enjoying freedom as grown-ups, and some One Cup Sake designs were so pretty. In fact, I used the cute One Cup Sake glass as my regular glass at my home. I don’t know where it came from, but I could see so many One Cup Sake everywhere in my hometown Akita when I was a little, and I had imagined having One Cup Sake as a grown-up! What a stupid kid!

Q: Later, when you worked as a sake sommelier did you ever get to serve Cup sake? Are there any you can recommend?

Chizuko Niikawa: I served some samples of One Cup Sake at my work for just few customers. It was frozen sake in One Cup Sake glass. You have to shake the glass before open the lid. It tastes so refreshing like a sorbet. They changed my mind in a good way about One Cup Sake right away. I really liked the cup design, too. It had a cute plum blossom print.

And my first One Cup Sake experience in New York was Kikusui Funaguchi. I heard that Kikusui Funakuchi is the number one “Cup Sake” in Japan. It’s Honjozo, but Nama and Genshu. So fresh and rich! It was my first “wow!” impression of a One Cup Sake.

Now, I highly recommend “Gegege no Kitarou One Cup Sake” from Chiyomusubi in Tottori prefecture! They are all Junmai Ginjo, and all use a different sake rice. Gegege no Kitarou is super popular and the most classic Japanese cartoon character. Most Japanese grew up with Gegege no Kitarou. I wish the label wasn’t on paper, though. If the characters were printed on the cups directly, I definitely keep the cups!

Q: Sometimes people believe that one cup sake means lower quality sake. What is your opinion?

Chizuko Niikawa:I don’t want to say they are “lower quality”, but the big point of One Cup Sake is to make it easy to find anywhere like in grocery stores and at train stations, regular delis or automatic vending machines on the streets in Japan. So, One Cup Sake is supposed to be a cheaper price, and hold it’s flavor longer than premium sake. That’s why most of One Cup Sake is Honjozo or Junmai class.

Q: Cup sake has many cute designs. do you have any favorite cup designs?

Chizuko Niikawa: Yes. My point is, definitely the print is on the glass directly. Not paper label on the cup. Of course, the paper label cup can be recycled, so I don’t ask them to change the design. I just want to keep the empty cup for using regular glass, if the design is very cute. Panda print of Miyozakura from Gifu prefecture and Bambi print of Akishika from Osake are exactly my taste. Little nostalgic old fashion design is my favorite part of One Cup Sake design! (They are not available in U.S. market)

Cup Sakes with Printed Designs

Q: Right now, one cup sake is relatively hard to find in the USA. Do you think it could become more popular someday?

Chizuko Niikawa: It’s hard to say actually. Many sake breweries have been able to brew premium sake nowadays, and the quality is getting better every year. I wish I can have premium One Cup Sake in NY casually, but I heard the bottling system of One Cup Sake is little different. It costs more than regular one, and One Cup Sake hasn’t been had like 20, 30 years ago in Japan now. Of course, some of them are still very popular, though.
One Cup Sake has a big lid, and is not easy to keep long the first fresh flavor probably, but many breweries have brewed great Honjozo and Junmai class sake in all over Japan. So, I don’t ask breweries which have not made One Cup Sake to try making One Cup Sake for people in the world, but if you already have the system, please please never stop to make One Cup Sake in the future!

One Cup Sake from Akita!

Interview: Maki Osugi, Cup Sake Blogger

Timothy — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:55:57 +0000

photo © Maki Osugi
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!

Q: How did you first discover One Cup Sake and what caught your attention? Do you remember the first one you tried?

Maki Osugi: In Japan, “Cup Sake” is very popular. When you are in Japan, you can find them very easily. So let me tell you why I love it.

Why I like “Cup Sake” is very simple. I love glass. I love that transparent material. In addition, I like Sake of course. Glass plus Sake makes Cup Sake! Roughly speaking, we have two types of “Cup Sake” here in Japan. One is decorated with a sticker. I call it a “sticker type”. As for the other type, a brand name or an illustration is printed directly on a glass cup. I call this “print type”. Some of “print type” cups looked so cute that I felt like keeping it at home. This is the beginning. While researching “Cup Sake”, I found there are more than 1000 cups sold in Japan. There are tons of cups which I’ve never seen or heard of before. As a matter of course, I felt like collecting them all!

I do not remember which my first cup, but “Suwaizumi” must be one of the first cups that turned me on. My favorite cups, in terms of “cup design”, are listed on the following page. -> http://blog.bq69.info/cup/stars/3-stars/

Ofukumasamune
I also love traveling all over Japan. As some of you might know, Japan is consisted of volcanic islands. So I can enjoy “Onsen” (hot spring). I love “Onsen” as much as I love “Cup Sake”. I always go into local Sake shops and super markets wherever I may roam. I feel very happy when I encounter a cup never seen before.

Many “Cup Sake” from microbreweries are not available even in Tokyo or at online sake stores. Some “Cup Sake” illustrations shows their breweries local landmarks, products or sceneries. For example, “Ofukumasamune” from Niigata has “koi” (carp) and bull fight pictures. Its brewery is located near Yamakoshi area where is famous for both. This kind of local features attract me a lot. “Kobe Cup” is also interesting. Kobe has one of the oldest international ports in Japan, which is represented by a ship on the left side of the cup. There used to be a reservation for foreigners. The weathercock at the right side of the cup represents Kobe’s history.

Q: Why did you decide to start a blog devoted to One Cup Sake? Tell us about your website!

Maki Osugi: My site, “bq69 collectibles“, was started as an online storage of my favorite collections. I intended to list all of my favorite things including books, music, photographs and of course “Cup Sake”. My first post based on my collections was “Cup Sake” because I had collected more than twenty cups at that time. Once I posted a “Cup Sake” article, I wanted to post another and another. While doing so, I find and buy other new cups. The following is a typical cycle of my blogging.

Cup Sake Map
1. buy a cup
2. shoot it
3. drink it up
4. blog it

I have so many cups that I made up my mind to let my site concentrate on Sake topics. I post “Cup Sake” and “Non-Cup Sake” articles one after the other. Although my site is featured in “UrbanSake.com”, my site is unfortunately all written in Japanese. Can’t read Japanese? Please look at my cups on Flickr! Are you a map person? Well, see geological distribution of my collection at my “cup-sake map“!

Q: I’ve heard some people say that One Cup Sake is considered lower quality stuff. How do you feel about this?

Maki Osugi: To those guys, I can say “You are right and wrong”. Most of “Cup Sake” contains “Futsushu” (regular sake). “Futsushu” is diluted with alcohol which is not made of rice. This added alcohol makes sake less tasty. “Cup Sake” was created in 1964 by Ozeki, co. ltd. It was a marketing strategic product. They thought it would be effective to change people’s image of drinking Sake in order to boost Ozeki’s market share. “Casual” and “reasonable” were big keywords. On the other hand, some “Cup Sake” contain “Junmaishu” or “Junmai Daiginjo“. They are very tasty. “Cup Sake is not worth drinking” is a bit stereotype opinion.

Regular archive link -> http://blog.bq69.info/cup/type/regular/
Honjozo archive link ->http://blog.bq69.info/cup/type/honjozo/
Ginjo / Daiginjo archive link -> http://blog.bq69.info/cup/type/ginjo-daiginjo/
Junmai archive link -> http://blog.bq69.info/cup/type/junmai/
Junmai Ginjo / Junmai Daiginjo archive link ->http://blog.bq69.info/cup/type/junmai-ginjo-junmai-daiginjo/

Q: Sake in general is becoming quite popular in the USA. You’ve spent some time living here… do you think One Cup Sake has a chance to catch on in the States?

Maki Osugi: It may be difficult for “Cup Sake” to become popular in the States. In my opinion, breweries do not think it’s a good idea to export their “Cup Sake”. The reasons are:
- cups for “Cup Sake” are not suitable for preservation
- cups itself is heavy, which impacts transportation cost
- “Cup Sake” is cheap (about two USD in Japan)

However, it must be good for breweries to give a “Cup Sake” as a sampler to Sake lovers in the States. At Sake conventions or tasting parties, breweries should give “Cup Sake” to the guests as a promotional sampler. Let them taste a bit at the parties and let them bring “Cup Sake” home. Drinking “Cup Sake” at home may be a good promotion.

Q: I notice that some sake cups have cute/funny/kawaii designs on them. Do you think the sake cup designs influence sales and popularity?

Maki Osugi: Absolutely yes! “Cup Sake” was a big (or medium?) hit in Japan two or three years ago. In those days, many young women bought cute cups just because they’re cute. Giant pandas of “Miyozakura” and cute deer of “Akishika” were big stars. Most of young Japanese women prefer wine or cocktails to Sake. It is very interesting to see that those animals attracted them and made them buy “Cup Sake”!

A cup designed by Yoshitomo Nara was a big hit, too. This contemporary artist is so popular among Japanese girls that they bought cups designed by him. Even those who do not drink bought his cups! You can see his paintings at MoMA in NYC.

Yoshitomo Nara’s cup at my site ->http://blog.bq69.info/2009/02/cup171a-to-z-house.html

Q: What are some of your favorite One Cup Sakes?

Maki Osugi: As I mentioned before, my favorite cups in terms of design are listed in “3 Stars” archive. But some of “2 Stars” cups are also pretty good in design.

If I may be asked what would be my best cups, I would say “Akishika“, which I mentioned before, “Kobe Cup” and “Yagibushi“.

As for taste, I recommend some cups on “Favorites” archive page. All the cups here are “Junmai”. Sake contained in these cups are so delicious that no one can argue, yes including those who claims that “Cup Sake isn’t worth drinking”.

Q: What are you hopes and dreams for the future of your One Cup Sake Blog?

Maki Osugi: Almost all the “Print type” cups I can buy online are already in my collection list. I hope I can get all “Print type” cups, but I do not know how many cups we have in Japan (nobody knows exactly, I guess). Until the day comes, I will roam everywhere in tiny island, Japan. And sometimes I drink “Sticker type” for sure. As for the new cups to come, check’em out at “bq69 collectibles“!

*********

Interview: Sake Social’s Marc Smookler

Timothy — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:47:28 +0000

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 me, my thoughts of the future never stray too far from sake, so you can imagine my interest was piqued when I heard about a new futuristic web 2.0 sake site hitting the internet called SakeSocial.com that was aiming to bring sake selling, sake education and sake community 100% online and into the 21st Century. I recently caught up with the web entrepreneur and SakeSocial.com founder Marc Smookler to find out how he discovered sake, what inspired his website and, what has sake breweries knocking down his door to join in.

Q: Tell me how you got interested in sake? Did you have a sake “a-ha moment”? What on earth inspired you to start SakeSocial.com?

Marc Smookler and his wife Marisela

Marc Smooker: First, let me say that I am not, nor have I ever been, a big drinker. People should not assume that just because I launched a sake community that I am a booze hound. In fact, sake is one of the harder ways to get “tipsy”. If one was looking to zero in on drunkenness, he/she should simply pick up a bottle of vodka or whiskey.

I became interested in sake through a gradual process—I call it my maturation through aperitifs. I started like most mid‐westerners: Milwaukee’s Best while huddled in my parent’s basement at age 16; then my roughshod college years of fraternity life of Jager and the occasional chaser of Coors Light; after college I graduated to the more refined hard alcohols and the various splashes of color; then the tired years of long days and the Red Bull infused Vodka drinks that took me through my 20’s; then the inevitable ulcer that put an end to my hard alcohol days—ugggh…back to beer…

Then it happened. I moved to Los Angeles, found some good sushi restaurants, and was turned onto sake. Never a fan of wine, I quickly became a fan of sake due to its clean taste, subtle dryness, and complementary nature. I was driven to sushi restaurants by my sake cravings. Eventually I found a sake that I preferred but unfortunately the only restaurant that served it was sub‐par. So I ventured online one night and tried to find a site that sold this particular brand. Couldn’t find it anywhere. In fact, I couldn’t find a single site that sold sake. That night SakeSocial was born.

Shortly after I bought the domain name I called one of my best friends, Jason Laskowski, who just happens to love his beer and cozy, and I convinced him to go out and buy a bottle or 2 of good sake. After he downed the bottles, he called me back and was on board. Also along the way, I have added a few key players to the team, including Beau Timken. On a side note, still to this day I have to convince my wife that just because I started SakeSocial, I do *not* want to become a booze shiller. I am here to provide a service—and a badly needed service at that.

Q: What is unique about your website?

Marc Smooker: We are simply the only ecommerce sake site that provides: a place to learn, purchase, find *your* perfect bottle, and interact with your like‐minded community. Our site:

Educates;

Helps consumers find what sake brew(s) best suit their palate;

Provides a community where others can share their thoughts;

Offer a Sake of the Month Club where an expert takes consumers on a tasting adventures; and,

Presents an easy‐to‐use ecommerce experience with peer reviews and suggestions.

And lastly, we have gone to great lengths to make sure we are doing things legally. Many of our smaller competitors are just simply taking orders and shipping to whomever, wherever. Not only does this create a liability for the company, but for the customers and importers too. Yes this has increased *our* (not your) costs a bit, but, we are looking to both protect ourselves and our customers. Come July 1st, we will still only be able to ship to only 25 states.

Q: Have you had any reaction from Japanese Brewers or Japanese sake peeps to SakeSocial.com? What do they think of your efforts to sell sake online in the USA?

Mark Smooker: The breweries actually sell a fair amount of sake on‐line in Japan – so naturally the brewers have been curious why Americans don’t sell sake online. We have to explain the insane legal issues of interstate alcohol sales and they can’t believe that the laws are so difficult – so arduous. As we bring on breweries/importers, and we explain the process we had to go through, they start to see why very few companies have braved the waters. I guess I am just a glutton for punishment…

Also, to add to this point, I am proud of the team at SS (SakeSocial) for representing us, and sake for that matter, in a professional manner. This has gone a long way to assure the breweries that we are the horse to bet on. Lastly, I would like to say that now that we have traversed the shark infested waters of prohibition era liquor laws, and we are making sales/waves, the breweries are literally knocking down our door to get on board.

Q: Tell us about the sakes you’ve selected… Any of your personal favorite brews among your sake selection?

Marc Smooker: Beau actually has a really good blog post on this subject that we haven’t posted yet, but, it really comes down to timing and effort. As you can imagine, with our SakeSelector Tool, all our ecommerce widgets, and all the regulation; adding a simple bottle of sake takes a herculean effort. You can’t just upload one in our database and start shipping. It literally takes 2 months to add a brew to our whole ecomm and warehousing system, and, of course getting all the documentation together for the Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco agency…both state and federal Did I forget to mention that we have to do lab testing and then submit the finding to the FDA? Goes on and on….I am sweating again just thinking about it.

So, how do we choose which ones to start off the process? In the beginning it was simple, who was willing to work with us Now it’s different….we are fighting them back and are able to pick and choose.
And, regarding your last question…well…my latest Sake Selector Tool walk through put me in the following bottle:

OTOKOYAMA “MAN’S MOUNTAIN”

However, now that I look at my Selector Tool answers, I was pairing with BBQ….let’s just say my diet is making my body crave BBQ… What sake does our Selector Tool choose for you?”

Q: Selling/shipping sake to various States sounds to me like a nightmare‐ish tangled web of bureaucracy. What have been the biggest challenges to selling sake online so far?

Mark Smooker: I touched on this a bit already, but, yes, a nightmare that still gives me fits. After everything that we have done over the past year, after hiring multiple law firms, I can still only ship to 25 states. The local liquor and grocery stores have a much bigger lobbyist war chest than I do However, what is strange to me is that limiting interstate commerce is illegal according to Federal mandates… but…again, who is going to fight that battle? Other than the above challenge, just starting a company in general is no easy feat….and after 4 startups, it still scares the heck out of me. Ecommerce adds another cog that you have to work through. But, the biggest challenge of all has been to both educate and convince the American consumer that sake simply rocks!!!

Q: What are your thoughts on the future of sake in the USA?

Marc Smooker: I hope its bright Japanese culture is becoming more pervasive in America and sake is riding that wave. It will take some time, but, sake *will* become common place—even if I have to brave this fight alone!

In closing Tim, I would like to say that starting SakeSocial has been an absolute blast. Websites like ours are literally creating a market from the ground up, and being there at the beginning, while having its risks, is what makes it so fun. I have met a lot of great people, a lot of great companies, and a lot of really cool brewery owners in Japan that are salivating to enter the US marketplace.

I just hope we can provide them all a home that consumers continually come to to buy some wickedly good brews!

*********

Thanks Marc! It’s hard to believe all the hoops the government makes the industry jump through just to get some premium nihonshu to the people!

Well, keep up the good fight and I’m happy to pass on my flying car for now if you promise to someday deliver your sake-of-the-month club to my friends on Mars… once the FDA signs off, of course.

Best of luck and Kanpai!