Sugidama Sake Podcast
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Ep. 49: How to Enjoy Sake: Easy Buying Guide
02 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The new season of Sugidama Sake Podcast is out and I am releasing the first episode on Saturday! This is the start of a mini-series "How to Enjoy...
Ep. 48: Shochu Advisor Course Overview
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The final episode of Season 4 is about a new Shochu Advisor Course, run by the Intentional Sake School. I have recently taken it and decided to share ...
Ep 47: Sake Around the World. Sake in Manchester with Jamie Ryder (Yamato Magazine)
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's the conclusion of the Sake Around the World miniseries. We started it in Birmingham with Simon Boulton, then flew to Hong Kong to talk to Er...
Ep. 46: Brewery Focus. Kuheiji Honten with Japan Centre
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kuheiji Kuno is a maverick. He's a trailblazer of the sake world taking his inspiration from hundreds of years of sake brewing tradition, Japanes...
Ep 45: Sake Around the World. Sake in France with Tony Yip
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our journey around the world to find out how sake fares in different countries. And today I am talking to Tony Yip from VSF Wine Education...
Ep 44: Discovering Yamaguchi Sake with Jim Rion
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new English-language book about sake is always big news. They do not come that often. It's passed almost a year since Exploring the World of Ja...
Ep 43: Sake Around the World. New York with Sake Revolution, Timothy Sullivan and John Puma
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The United States is the largest export market for Japanese sake. And for the last few decades, New York has been the key destination for sake outside...
Ep. 42: Brewery Focus. Niida Honke with Sake Collective
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Founded in 1711, Niida Honke has been brewing sake in the same location in Kōriyama, Fukushima Prefecture for more than 300 years. The brewery is kno...
Ep. 41 Sake Around the World: Sake in Hong Kong with Eric Fung and Will Jarvis
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From Birmingham to Hong Kong following sake around the world! I am talking to Eric Fung and Will Jarvis about the sake scene in Hong Kong.Hong Kong ...
Ep. 40: Brewery Focus. Tedorigawa Sake with World Sake Imports UK
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yoshida Sake Brewery, the maker of Tedorigawa sake, is famous not only for its amazing and delicious sake but also for the documentary, The Birth of S...
Ep. 39 Sake Around the World: Sake in Birmingham with Sam Boulton
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first episode in the Sake Around the World series. Today I am talking with Samuel Boulton about sake in Birmingham. With almost 15 years i...
Ep. 38: Brewery Focus. Noguchi Sake Institute with Tengu Sake
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Noguchi Naohiko is a legend in the world of sake. He has been making sake since 1949 and is widely known as the God of Sake Brewing. After working at ...
Ep. 37: The start of Season 4 and BSA Grand Tasting
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The wait is over and Season 4 is on with a lot of interesting interviews, breweries overviews, tastings, special episodes and even a competition toget...
Ep. 36: IWC Sake 2022
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yay, it's been two years and three seasons of Sugidama Podcast! And this is the last episode of Season 3, where I share some observations from th...
Ep. 35: Deep Dive into Sake Trends: an interview with Jim Rion and Andrew Russell, Sake Deep Dive
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second interview, which concludes the Emergence of Sake series and highlights the modern sake trends. This time with Jim Rion and Andrew R...
Ep. 34: Kanpai, London! Interview with Tom Wilson, a master brewer and owner of Kanpai Brewery in London
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After concluding The Emergence of Sake series tracing the history of sake brewing from ancient times until the modern times, I decided to follow it ...
Ep. 33: Emergence of Sake Series: Sake in Modern Times
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last time we were talking about the Edo period, which brought many techniques and innovations into sake brewing resulting in better and more stable sa...
Ep. 32: Where to Learn about Sake and Enjoy It: an interview with Marie Cheong-Thong
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sake is not a very easy topic. If you want to understand it well, you need to do some studying. You can buy a book or two about sake (see Episode 12 E...
Ep. 31: Emergence of Sake Series: The Age of Prosperity: Sake in the Edo Period
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Edo period for sake brewing was like the Victorian era for the industrial revolution. So many things that happened then still influence the drink ...
Ep. 30: Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake (Interview with Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay)
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's always exciting to read a new book about sake. There are not that many of them published outside Japan. But the fact that this new book is...
Ep 29: Emergence of Sake Series: Bodaimoto and How Oda Nobunaga Ended Soboshu
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Soboshu, the sake brewed by monks played a very important role in the development of sake brewing techniques in medieval Japan. The monasteries posses...
Ep 28: The beauty of nature: The Sparkling Sake Brewery
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The new interview with Naoki Toyota and Tracey Delaney from The Sparkling Sake Brewery based in Cambridgeshire. Inspired by nature, Naoki went to stud...
Ep 27: Emergence of Sake Series: Enters Koji, Imperial Court and Soboshu
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I continue the mini-series about the emergence of sake with an episode about probably the major technological breakthrough in sake making: the use of ...
Ep 26: How a Travel Company Opened a Sake Store in London: Interview HIS Japan Premium
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The first interview of Season 3: a conversation about a new Japanese sake and grocery store, HIS Japan Premium, with John Opondo, who is Managing Dire...
Ep 25: The Emergence of Sake: Roots of Nihonshu
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a break Sugidama Podcast is back with a short series talking about the emergence of sake brewing methods from ancient times to our days. In this...
Ep 24: Message in a Bottle: Interview with Andy Travers, London Sake
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of Season 2, I am talking to Andy Travers, the founder of London Sake, an online sake shop, and Sugidama Podcast's sponsor. ...
Ep 23: Sake Focus: Ginjo, Luxury in a Glass
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The fourth episode in the short Sake Focus series is about ginjo, premium and super-premium sake made from highly polished rice. The name comes from t...
Ep 22: Sake Focus: Namazake, Life in a Bottle
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The third episode in the short Sake Focus series is about namazake, unpasteurised sake which is known for its unruly wild and lively character. Nama c...
Ep 21: Sake Focus: Nigori, a descendant of a sacred drink
24 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The second episode in the short Sake Focus series is about nigori, which takes its origin from the ancient sacred drink called doburoku. Doburoku is t...
Ep 20: Sake Focus: Junmai/Honjozo
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, I have spoken to one of my listeners, who praised this podcast for its wonderful content. “But you know”, he said. “Sake is a complete...
Ep 19: Sake Ingredients: Yeast, the Unsung Hero of Sake Brewing (interview with Andrew Russell)
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The conclusion of the Sake Ingredients mini-series with an interview with Andrew Russell about sake yeast, which he calls an unsung hero of sake brewi...
Ep 18: How I Became an IWC Sake Judge
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On a nice April morning, I've got a call from Rie Yoshitake, whom I know from numerous sake events. "Alex, would you like to be a sake jud...
Ep 17: Sake, mirin and other animals (Interview with Kinu Yukawa)
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A great interview about sake, cooking, mirin and other things with Kinu Yukawa. She is a Japanese chef and cookery teacher from Kobe, Japan, currently...
Ep 16: Sake Ingredients: Beautiful Koji (Interview with Akemi Yokoyama)
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Koji is a magical ingredient of sake. A tiny microorganism that turns starch into sugar and makes it possible to make this beautiful drink. It's ...
Ep 15: Sake Ingredients: Rice, the Essence of Sake
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rice is the essence of sake. It’s the source of alcohol and it gives sake its flavour, aroma, texture and character. It’s like grape to wine but s...
Ep 14: Sake Ingredients: The power of Water
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The importance of water is difficult to overestimate. It’s second only to the brewer’s skill and as important as good rice and koji. But honestl...
Ep 13: 5 tips to pick up the sake you will enjoy (plus what is SMV)
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What could be more disappointing than ordering something, waiting for it with excitement and then realising that it’s something you don’t like. It...
Ep 12: 5 Essential Books about Sake
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are plenty of books about wine or whiskey. You go to any bookshop and you can always find something. Unfortunately, there are actually not many ...
Ep 11: Through the time: the history of sake (Interview with Natsuki Kikuya)
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The origin of sake is covered in mystery. In order to get some clarity, I have spoken to Natsuki Kikuya, who is a certified sake and wine professional...
Ep 10: How to Open a Sake Bar in London and Survive a Lockdown (Interview with Erika Haigh from Moto London)
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Erika a sake and wine specialist and director of Moto London, a sake bar which opened in London Covent Garden just about a year ago. She is an amazing...
Ep 09: How to Drink Sake Like a Pro (Interview with Oliver Hilton-Johnson from Tengu Sake)
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Oliver Hilton-Johnson is a Sake Specialist and Director of Tengu Sake, a sake imports, wholesale & retail company. Tengu Sake supplies quality Jap...
Ep 08: It’s a Kind of Magic: How Sake is Made Part 2
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The second part of the exciting two-parter about how sake is made. I never stop admiring the skill and craftmanship of sake brewers. They manage to cr...
Ep 07: How to order sake and other tips from Satomi Dosseur
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Satomi Dosseur is a sake professional and educator, a founder of Enshu Limited, which runs a great and very interesting sake specialist course (Kiki...
Ep 06: It’s a Kind of Magic: How Sake is Made Part 1
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Great news! Sugidama Podcast now has a sponsor, London Sake, an excellent online sake store. London Sake has one of the widest selections of premium a...
Ep 05: How I learnt about sake and started to love it?
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of people often ask me why sake. They are usually quite intrigued. I’m not Japanese (they don’t know that sake in Japan is not that popular ...
Ep 04: From Kimoto to Sokujo and Back Again
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The process of making sake is really exciting! There are several sake brewing methods: three main ones, kimoto, yamahai and sokujo (or sokujo-moto) an...
Ep 03: A Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Sake Universe Part 2
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While sake has a milder taste compared to wine, it's diversity is astounding. You not only have sake grades or styles which have their own flavou...
Ep 02: A Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Sake Universe Part 1
16 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Junmai, honjozo, ginjo, daiginjo... What do all these strange words mean? Do we have to know them to enjoy sake? It will definitely help you to iden...
Ep 01: Busting Popular Sake Myths and Legends
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first episode of Sugidama Podcast, the podcast about Japanese sake, the amazing drink, I am madly in love with, profoundly fascinated b...