Podcasts by Sake On Air
A bi-weekly podcast exploring the stories of sake. Brought to you by experts on the front lines of the industry in Japan.
Further podcasts by Sake On Air
Podcast on the topic Reisen und Orte
All episodes
Kurabito Stay with Marika Tazawa from 2023-12-13T14:32:43
With more travelers these days favoring unique experiences over a few days of leisure for their limited vacation days, Japan’s sake breweries have gradually been improving and expanding their offer...
ListenSake in Brazil with Fabio Ota from 2023-11-29T11:14
Fabio Ota joins regular host Sebastien Lemoine to talk all things sake in Brazil. Fabio, a lawyer turned sake guy, is the CEO and creator of Megasake, São Paulo’s premier sake shop and distributor....
ListenTasting Sake…Professionally? from 2023-11-16T00:42:45
For many years a Sake Tasting Competition has been held for selected sake sommeliers from across the country in Tokyo to challenge their tasting skills and knowledge. This year the Brewing Society ...
ListenShochu Cocktails with Suzu from 2023-11-01T23:36:50
In this week's episode of Sake On Air we dive further into the world of Shochu and Cocktails as we are excited to have had the chance to talk to Christian Suzuki-Orellana, aka ‘Suzu’, the founder o...
ListenKusu Day: Tasting Awamori from 2023-10-18T02:56:44
This week, we ask that you indulge us just a bit as we…indulge.During Justin’s super-secret (and all-too-brief) return to Japan we had the opportunity to conduct a single recording. That date just ...
ListenKura One by Katsunari Sawada (Part 2) from 2023-10-11T07:33
In our last podcast episode of Sake On Air, we had two of our regular hosts Chris Hughes and John Gauntner talk with Katsunari Sawada, the man behind the pocket-sized sake can, KURA One. If you hav...
ListenKura One by Katsunari Sawada (Part 1) from 2023-09-28T03:42:18
In this week's episode of Sake On Air, two of our regular hosts Chris Huges and John Gauntner came together to chat with Katsunari Sawada san, the mastermind behind KURA One!For anyone unfamiliar w...
ListenTranslating Taste with Arline Lyons from 2023-09-12T23:05
Arline Lyons never expected to be the go-to translator for sake related writings coming out of Japan, but remix Mr. Crichton, “sake finds a way.” Our American host in America, Justin Potts sat down...
ListenMixing Shochu with Bartender Soran Nomura from 2023-08-22T23:56:05
How do we effectively promote Japan’s indigenous beverages? That is the million-dollar question and something the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association are working on relentlessly every day. On ...
ListenBubbling in the Moromi with Martin Sturma from 2023-08-09T15:47:38
Martin Sturma’s path to kurabito life at Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten has been a winding one. He first started working with sake at the JETRO Prague office, but he had already fallen in love with drink...
ListenTippsy Sake with Genki Ito&Sachiko Miyagi from 2023-07-19T10:01
Somehow, they’ve done it.Despite the long list of complex and seemingly impenetrable barriers, the folks at Tippsy have managed to make a large, diverse, and inspiring range of sake available to an...
ListenARUTEN: On Your Own Terms with Jim Rion from 2023-07-07T02:20:20
Aruten, arukoru tenka, or the ingredient largely responsible for the need to create a category of junmai sake in the first place, is sake that has been made with an addition of brewer’s alcohol. Fo...
ListenMOYASHI: On Your Own Terms with the Sake Concierge from 2023-06-21T04:08:49
“Moyashi” is a bit tricky: it’s simply translated as “bean sprout” in Japanese, but in the world of sake it refers to the sprouting koji starter knows as tane-koji, in Japanese. In this week’s epis...
ListenGENSHU: On Your Own Terms with Sebastien Lemoine from 2023-06-06T23:11
The amount of “genshu” sake circulating the market these days is ever-increasing. So first and foremost, what in the world is genshu?This week your regular host Sebastien Lemoine brings the genshu ...
ListenAMAKUCHI: On Your Own Terms with Tomomi Duquette from 2023-05-31T01:04
This week we’re lucky to be joined once again by Niigata Sake Lovers founder, sake educator, guide, and evangelist extraordinaire, Tomomi Duquette.Tomomi’s sake vocabulary that she’s brought to the...
ListenARABASHIRI: On Your Own Terms with Keith Norum from 2023-05-26T07:34:52
Not only can a single batch of sake be broken down into unique seasonal releases, it can even be divided up into a range of unique products immediately following the pressing of a single batch.One ...
ListenKURA: On Your Own Terms with Chris Hughes from 2023-04-29T07:34:57
Is it “kura”, or is it “gura?”It’s both! On week’s episode of On Your Own Terms, regular host Justin Potts sits down with Chris Hughes to examine a rather pervasive term in and around the world of ...
ListenMUROKA: On Your Own Terms with Andrew Centofante from 2023-04-21T10:28:29
Is it “unfiltered”?This week’s episode of On Your Own Terms explores one component of sake’s rather confusing classification of filtered vs. unfiltered when we discuss muroka sake with one exceptio...
ListenRICEY: On Your Own Terms with the Sake Concierge from 2023-04-18T02:57
We’re back again with more, On Your Own Terms, the series that allows our guests to select a single bit of sake or shochu-specific terminology to share with us, explaining it concisely, while also ...
ListenKANRI: On Your Own Terms with Arline Lyons from 2023-04-14T14:59
In case you missed it, we’ve just kicked off our new mini-series: On Your Own Terms, where we examine sake or shochu-specific terminology concisely through the eyes of the advocates and professiona...
ListenNAMA: On Your Own Terms with Jorge Navarette from 2023-04-12T21:23:29
This week we kick off a brand-new mini-series looking at sake (or shochu)-specific terminology in a new way.Up until now we’ve occasionally hosted in-depth discussions on hyper-specific topics uniq...
ListenDiscovering Yamaguchi Sake with Jim Rion from 2023-04-01T03:21:53
Books dedicated entirely to specific sake-producing regions have for all intents and purposes been non-existent in the English language; at least, until now.Enter, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake: A Tas...
ListenStarting a Brewery with Adachi Noujo from 2023-03-26T12:10
If you’ve been listening to this show even intermittently over the past several years, you’re probably already aware that starting a sake brewery from scratch in Japan is, and has been for decades,...
ListenBringing Sake into the American Mainstream (Sake Future Summit 2022) from 2023-03-10T07:45:24
Last week we brought you the first session from Sake Future Summit 2022 in a nice, easy-to-digest podcast package. (Videos from across the two weekends are, of course, still available for your view...
ListenGlobal Transformation of Sake (Sake Future Summit 2022) from 2023-02-28T14:18:50
Back in January across two weekends, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association hosted the second iteration of the Sake Future Summit. (The first was held back in 2020). For those that missed it,...
ListenOkawari: Parenting with Sake from 2023-02-16T09:01
In last week’s episode I interviewed Elliot Faber of Sake Central in Hong Kong If you missed that conversation, I encourage you to hit pause, go back, and check that out.We had a very lengthy conve...
ListenConstructing a Sake Ecosystem with Elliot Faber from 2023-02-11T08:08:31
Summarizing the work of Elliot Faber is a challenge. Often simply introduced as “Sake Samurai”, a title bestowed in 2016, which added him to the ranks of the select and deserving few to carry the t...
ListenThe Sparkling Sake Brewery from 2023-01-25T10:53
Sparkling sake is on the rise. A style that was often served and enjoyed as an exciting and curious anomaly only a few years ago has become a staple in the lineup of sake breweries all across Japan...
ListenInterviewing George Briant Parsons Inoue of Inoue Shuzo from 2022-12-22T14:48:14
It is not so uncommon these days to come across non-Japanese sake brewers, indeed we have featured many on this show, but in the case of this week’s guest, sake is quite literally in his family’s D...
ListenSeasonal Sake with Namazake Paul from 2022-12-02T05:41:14
For Paul Willenberg – aka “Namazake Paul”– namazake is a unique exploration into the seasonality of sake.Based in Portland, Oregon, Paul has been lovingly cultivating what’s become arguably the mos...
ListenSake Travel Episode 5: Kyoto with the Sake Concierge from 2022-11-19T00:08:17
“My life in Kyoto is my life in sake.”Those few words from this week’s guest, Sake Concierge Takashi “Umio” Eguchi, rather appropriately and succinctly sum up why it is we were so excited to have h...
ListenTaste with the Toji&Simone Maynard from 2022-11-03T17:50:40
As much as this week’s episode is informative, it’s also a bit of a celebration.Simone Maynard (aka: Sake Mistress) has been a dedicated, hard-working evangelist spreading the good word of sake in ...
ListenSake Travel Episode 4: Niigata City from 2022-10-19T03:00
We’re continuing on our Sake Travel series this week with a visit to the city of Niigata. While the entire prefecture of Niigata is littered with fantastic sake destinations, we’ve decided to narro...
ListenSake Travel Episode 3: Hokkaido from 2022-10-05T03:00
For this third installment of our Sake Travel Series, we’re heading north – way north!More commonly associated with some of the best skiing and snowboarding on the planet, extravagant snow festival...
ListenUnfiltered September 2022 from 2022-09-22T16:58:37
In August we gave you a taste of our new Sake Travel series, which we’ll be returning to again here shortly.This week, however, we’ve got the first in what will be another new ongoing series: Unfil...
ListenSake Travel Episode 2: Nagano from 2022-08-31T03:43
In case you missed it, last week we kicked off a new mini-series in Osaka. This week, together with hosts John Gauntner, Rebekah Wilson-Lye, and Chris Hughes, we’re off to Nagano!Despite being Japa...
ListenSake Travel Episode 1: Osaka from 2022-08-24T14:30
We’re kicking off a new semi-ongoing series this week!Over the course of the past couple of years, in a world where international visitors have been largely restricted from entering Japan, we’ve be...
ListenBack on Air Livestream from 2022-08-17T00:15
Back on Air LivestreamWe can’t believe it has been nearly 4 months since our last “official” show release. Even though it was part of the plan, we’re now getting a bit stir-crazy. It’s time to get ...
ListenA Message from Sake On Air from 2022-05-12T01:28:55
Back in October of 2018 when we released the very first episode of Sake On Air, none of us had recorded or produced a podcast before, and there was no precedent for what a podcast about sake and sh...
ListenA Brewer’s Evolution with Mehdi Medhaffar from 2022-04-19T04:00
We’ve welcomed more than an a few non-Japanese kurabito to the show in the past that have made sake brewing here in Japan their chosen path for a day or a lifetime. As the number of breweries integ...
ListenAwamori with Maurice Dudley from 2022-03-30T12:16:50
It’s been way too long since we’ve spent an entire episode dialing straight into the world of awamori. That’s why we’re thrilled that your host Christopher Pellegrini’s recent trip to Okinawa broug...
ListenWhere Beer&Sake Collide from 2022-03-23T10:19
We finally have a great excuse to discuss beer this week.Despite a long history of (ongoing) misrepresentation as “rice wine” and the sake industry’s mild obsession with the wine world, we’re final...
ListenRestoring Tradition: Kame Brewing with Yucho Shuzo from 2022-03-11T11:40
In Part 1 of this special two-part series visiting the producers reviving the lost art of kamejikomi, we spoke with Ken Kojima of Kojima Sohonten, makers of Toko sake in Yamagata Prefecture.This we...
ListenRestoring Tradition: Kame Brewing with Kojima Sohonten from 2022-03-09T11:53:58
Back in Episode 51 we explored the hard work being invested in restoring kioke, the large-scale traditional wooden tanks that transformed sake brewing in the Edo Period. Thanks to the hard work of ...
ListenKubota: Building and Sustaining an Iconic Label from 2022-03-03T07:00
Last week we focused our energy on examining the Niigata region as a whole. This week we’re once again joined by our same guests, Ms. Kaoru Ito and Mr. Hiroshi Nagamoto from the Overseas Business D...
ListenExamining Niigata Sake from 2022-02-22T15:26:18
There’s really no such thing as an “inferior” region for sake production in Japan. A particular region may boast more breweries, higher production volume, or more acreage dedicated to a popular ric...
ListenGinjo: Beneath the Surface from 2022-02-18T08:00
Ginjo is king.Or at least, that’s kind of been a mantra for several generations of more than a few sake lovers, makers, and advocates. Looking at the numbers in recent years, some have dubbed this ...
ListenOur 2022 Predictions from 2022-01-31T09:30
Another year, another chance to set ourselves up for failure with a series of wild predictions!This year the team has independently put together their own lists of predictions and expectations for ...
ListenDigital Kokushu Museum from 2022-01-12T12:11
This past autumn, something really special came into being that all of our sake and shochu-loving listeners ought to appreciate.A project that has been in-the-making for quite some time behind the ...
ListenOkawari: Water, Food, and Terroir from 2021-12-28T12:21
A lot of the interview material from our episodes here at Sake on Air winds up on the cutting room floor, but some of it is just too good to let go to waste. With our Okawari series, we raise our g...
ListenHoliday Drinks from 2021-12-20T08:17
Although this particular holiday season may prove to be somewhat of an exception for some – much in the way that many of us assumed 2020 to be an exception – for many people around the world the ye...
ListenFuture of Sake with Les Larmes du Levant&Kanpai London from 2021-11-15T10:00
Seeing as how we haven’t featured any of our esteemed sake brewing revolutionist friends on the European continent recently, we thought it was about time we check in. This week we’re joined by Tom ...
ListenThree-year Anniversary Special from 2021-11-01T08:38:30
On October 18th, way back in the distant past that was 2018, we released the first official episode of Sake On Air. Exactly three years to the day, we got the entire crew together to commemorate an...
ListenInterview with Gautier Roussille from 2021-10-11T10:07:05
Back in Episode 65 during our discussion with the president of Sohomare, Mr. Jun Kono, another interesting name popped; that of Gautier Roussille.An agronomist and oenologist by trade, Gautier’s ex...
ListenSake Brewing School at Gakkogura from 2021-09-24T06:43:07
Along with a general interest in sake expanding globally, the number of homebrewers curious to try their hand at sake making and professional brewers setting up formal production operations around ...
ListenListener Questions: August 2021 Edition from 2021-09-11T03:26:46
This week at Sake On Air we tackle a wide range of sake and shochu-specific topics based upon questions submitted by you, the listeners!Even though we’re always available and eager to engage with o...
ListenListener Questions: August 2021 Edition from 2021-09-11T03:26:46
This week at Sake On Air we tackle a wide range of sake and shochu-specific topics based upon questions submitted by you, the listeners!Even though we’re always available and eager to engage with o...
ListenSparkling Sake Interviews: Ichinokura&Shichiken from 2021-08-26T05:32:26
Continuing this month’s series examining the world of sparkling sake, this week we bring you a pair of interviews with sake makers that have been instrumental in both evolving and improving the spa...
ListenDeconstructing Sparkling Sake from 2021-08-12T06:27:53
Of all the requests that we get for various show topics, an episode focusing on “Sparkling Sake” is probably one, if not the most requested topic filling our inbox. So this week, we (finally) bring...
ListenRakugo Storytelling (and Sake) with Katsura Sunshine from 2021-07-29T08:31:19
This week we have a rather special story to tell, as we’re joined by Katsura Sunshine, the second non-Japanese master Rakugo-ka in the history of the craft.The nuanced, playful, dramatic, and at so...
ListenSohomare Sake With Brewery President Jun Kono from 2021-07-09T07:42:11
We’ve been way overdue for an episode highlighting one of Japan’s many inspiring sake breweries. When your hosts Sebastien Lemoine and John Gauntner line up a sit-down with Mr. Jun Kono, who repres...
ListenServing Up Shochu from 2021-06-23T09:02:28
We’ve been relatively quiet on the shochu front in recent months, but we’re looking to remedy that this week by serving up an episode that should inspire our listeners to begin procuring their shoc...
ListenNorth American Sake Rice&Agriculture with Isbell Farms Part 2 from 2021-06-10T01:19:36
This week we continue our conversation with the multi-generation family of rice (and sake rice!) farmers at Isbell Farms in the heart of Arkansas. For those of you just now joining, we highly recom...
ListenNorth American Sake Rice&Agriculture with Isbell Farms Part 1 from 2021-06-02T01:00
When it comes to producing sake outside of Japan, still one of the most significant hurdles to crafting the sake of a brew-master’s dreams is access to the ideal resources needed in order to realiz...
ListenMatured Sake, Aged Sake from 2021-04-28T07:16:26
Despite a rich and storied history spanning millennia, in certain terms, sake has yet to unequivocally prove its ability to stand the test of time.If you’re in some way associated with the sale or ...
ListenOkawari: U.S. Love of Nigori with“The Sake Ninja” from 2021-03-31T11:49:23
In an ideal world we’d bring you listeners a brand-new episode each and every week. While we can’t see that happening in the immediate future, in the process of creating or preparing for many of ou...
ListenThe Murky Waters of Nigori Sake from 2021-03-29T04:13:03
There’s a fascinating schism that’s emerged between the domestic and international markets’ relationship with nigori-style sake over that past few decades.With its rather odd positioning landing it...
ListenSake Future Summit 2020 Revisited (Part 2) from 2021-03-18T06:55:35
Just a few episodes back we decided to revisit some of the highlights from Sake Future Summit 2020. In preparing for and editing that episode there was so much that we wanted to include but couldn’...
ListenWater, Wood, and Wild Things (and Sake!) with Hannah Kirshner from 2021-03-10T09:48:55
In the past we’ve hosted episodes with a handful of non-Japanese individuals that have dedicated themselves to the work and lifestyle that comes along with being a kurabito (brewer) in Japan. We’ve...
ListenUnderstanding Umeshu with Todd Van Horne from 2021-03-01T02:02:57
Umeshu might be one of the most universally pleasing drink categories on the planet. Its characteristic sweet and spunky qualities can be served up any myriad of ways and seem to tickle just about ...
ListenSake Future Summit 2020 Revisited (Part 1) from 2021-02-16T11:23:55
Since hosting Sake Future Summit 2020 back at the end of November, we’ve since gone and spliced up that nearly 30 hours of dialogue and nearly as many programs into individual videos to help make t...
ListenFushimi Sake with Ayuko Yamaguchi from 2021-01-31T15:05:58
Anyone who has heard of a little country by the name of “Japan” has probably heard of “Kyoto”. Anyone who has sat through a formal sake education program has probably heard of “Fushimi”, the small ...
ListenAmazake with Shoko Baba of Hakkaisan from 2021-01-18T12:58:19
How many of our listeners are familiar with amazake? Despite having clear progenitor qualities to this show’s favorite beverage, this non-alcoholic, koji-fermented drink hasn’t quite amassed the in...
ListenKura Master with Xavier Thuizat from 2020-12-30T03:29:34
Any of our listeners that tuned into Sake Future Summit 2020 will likely already be familiar with the brilliant work of this week’s guest, Hotel de Crillion Chef Sommelier, Xavier Thuizat. In that ...
ListenPottery and Sake with Robert Yellin from 2020-12-21T14:47:16
An exploration into the various types of drinking vessels and related wares that have for centuries shaped the service and enjoyment of sake is one of the most frequently requested show topics that...
ListenKioke, Shoyu, Sake, and Fermentation from 2020-11-30T09:54:32
Last January Sebastien and Justin travelled to Shodoshima, the island of kioke, shoyu, and olives, located off the coast of Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku Island in Western Japan.The purpose? To take...
ListenTwo-year Anniversary Special (Live) from 2020-11-17T10:13:49
Thank you. Two years ago Sebastien, Big Chris, Justin, John and Little Chris huddled around some microphones after-hours at the Japan Sake&Shochu Information Center and tried to sort out how to ...
ListenKurabito Life from 2020-10-30T04:52:13
The role of the “kurabito” – one who works in a sake brewery – is incredibly varied. While the traditional image is that of a team of brewers hunkered down for a long brewing season of focus and is...
ListenHannyatou: Chef Soma&Russell King from 2020-09-29T05:32:56
Drink Sake. Stay Soba. It’s this simple mantra that has made Seattle’s Hannyatou and its neighboring soba destination Kamonegi almost overnight mainstays for the sake-inspired community of the P...
ListenThe SG Shochu with Joshin Atone from 2020-09-17T05:57:06
Lately it feels as though we’re teetering on the verge of shochu’s day in the limelight. Japan’s indigenous spirit with about as much market and mindshare as the beverage more commonly associated w...
ListenThe State of Sake Amidst COVID 19: Part 2 from 2020-08-31T14:06:06
Thanks for tuning in to Part 2 of our special focusing on the current impact of COVID-19 on the sake and shochu industries. If you haven’t yet listened to Part 1, where we interview a number of sig...
ListenThe State of Sake Amidst COVID 19: Part 1 from 2020-08-31T14:05:48
This week, we’re bringing you a double episode exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the sake industry here in Japan, and how that impact is beginning to reverberate through the international market....
ListenNatsuzake is Summer Sake from 2020-08-14T14:51:32
While this summer has certainly been a lot of things for many of our listeners, we hope that one thing which has been a defining mainstay throughout the summer of 2020 has been sake.Summer is gradu...
ListenShochu Talk: 1st Edition from 2020-07-21T17:48:39
This week’s episode is precisely what you’d assume it to be: the crew talking shochu.It had been a bit too long since we’d last done a real shochu-centric show, so we decided to drag Christopher Pe...
ListenTahoma Fuji Sake with Andrew Neyens from 2020-06-19T11:39:55
Although we’re all still grounded here in Japan, this week we’re getting off the island for a visit to the great Pacific Northwest to chat with Andrew Neyens, the one-man-band behind Seattle’s Taho...
ListenSake’s Missing Link with Pernod Ricard’s Yann Soenen from 2020-05-31T14:13:54
With LINK, Pernod Ricard made their first foray into the world of sake. Bringing together the craftmanship and nuance of Chivas Regal with the pioneering spirit of Toyama’s Masuda Shuzo – makers of...
ListenKnow Your Hosts: Rebekah Wilson-Lye&John Gauntner from 2020-05-14T02:47:22
Here it is! The final installment of our “Know Your Hosts” series, introducing our listeners to the minds and motivations behind Sake on Air.For the first half of this week’s show, we have Rebekah ...
ListenDojima Sake with Tony Mitchell from 2020-04-29T03:00
Like most all of our listeners, we’re keeping rather close to home these days. The nature of things makes it a bit challenging for the team to gather and record, but on the bright side, it’s given ...
ListenHot Sake (Kanzake) 101 from 2020-04-15T07:12:16
This week we’re tackling arguably one of the most misunderstood segments of the sake world:Kanzake, often simply referred to as, Hot Sake.For a complex web of reasons, the quality and general natur...
ListenAwamori 101 from 2020-03-31T02:26:10
To all of our listeners: thank you for your patience.As much as we go out of our way to include awamori as part of the broader shochu conversation, despite many months of listener requests, we have...
ListenBuilding a Brewery Down Under with Zenkuro&Melbourne Sake (Part 2) from 2020-03-29T01:35:35
As promised, we’re coming right back with Part 2 of our exploration into what goes into paving the way for a brand new sake brewery outside of Japan. We continue our conversation with David Joll, o...
ListenBuilding Breweries Down Under with Zenkuro&Melbourne Sake (Part 1) from 2020-03-27T00:32:59
It now feels like eons ago when, only just last month, the global sake community seemed to have all flocked to Japan for the final days of the winter brewing season. My how the world has changed… ...
ListenKnow Your Hosts: Marie Nagata&Justin Potts from 2020-03-16T02:59:34
Continuing with our Meet Your Hosts series, this week we bring you interviews with another pair from the team here at Sake On Air. First up we have Marie Nagata, interviewed by John Gauntner – ...
ListenTengu Sake with Oliver Hilton-Johnson from 2020-02-25T03:16:51
This week we zone in on sake in the U.K. as we welcome the founder and owner of Tengu Sake, Oliver Hilton Johnson to the show. Oliver’s carefullycurated portfolio and user-friendly communication...
ListenKnow Your Hosts: Shuso Imada&Chris Hughes from 2020-02-03T08:46:08
This week it’s time once again to take a moment to get to know the team here at Sake On Air. We first aired one of these episodes back in October (Episode 27), where you got to know Sebastie Lemoin...
ListenAroma&Sake from 2019-12-31T09:23:26
What exactly is the scent of sake?For our final episode of 2019, Chris Hughes,Rebekah Wilson-Lye, and Sebastie Lemoine gather to discuss the nature and role of aroma in sake. Seeing as how the smel...
ListenCelebrating 1 Year of Sake On Air from 2019-12-15T09:37:29
We’ve been doing this for an entire year (and then some) already! To commemorate wedecided to get the entire cast together (minus John, sadly, who was fully there in spirit) to talk about the natur...
ListenShochu&Spirits with Philip Duff from 2019-12-01T12:49:17
It was right around this very same time last year that we sat down with a whole slew ofsplendid bartenders and mixologists to discuss shochu following their tour across Kyushu.This week, we’ve done...
ListenSake in Portland with Marcus Pakiser&Midori Nakazawa from 2019-11-12T07:26:57
Sake On Air has taken the show on the road! Well, sort of.The gang isn’t all here, but Justin recently spent a bit of time in the PacificNorthwest and along the way managed to sit down with a few o...
ListenKnow Your Hosts: Christopher Pellegrini&Sebastien Lemoine from 2019-10-26T00:49:44
Over the past year of doing Sake On Air, believe it or not, one of the most highlyrequested show topics that we get from our listeners has been for us to do a deep-dive exploring the backgrounds an...
ListenGuide to Japanese Drinks w/ Stephen Lyman from 2019-10-04T05:07:05
This week’s episode is especially timely, as Justin managed to squeeze in an interview with StephenLyaman to coincide with the launch of his brand new book, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, c...
ListenBrewing in Japan w/ Cody Brailsford from 2019-09-20T04:25:55
Cody Brailsford is a rather rare breed. Now fuku-toji (assistant headbrewer) as of this recording, at Watanabe Sake Brewery, makers of Hourai brand sake in the small countryside town of HidaFur...
ListenZaku Interview w/ President Shinichiro Shimizu from 2019-09-07T13:45:39
This week’s episode is exactly what the title says: an interview with Shinichiro Shimizu, the president of Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten, better known as makers of the incredibly popular brand of sake, ...
ListenKoji Basics from 2019-08-23T09:22:04
When you start talking sake (or shochu),you don’t get too far in before finding that you need to address koji. That’s what Justin, (big) Chris and Sebastien set out to do this week. As Japan’s magi...
ListenRice Types from 2019-08-08T00:15:29
This week John Gauntner takes over as master of ceremonies, as Rebekah Wilson-Lye, Chris Hughes and Justin Potts combine forces to help flesh out an all-important and ever-evolving element of sake ...
ListenSake in Spain w/ Pablo Alomar Salvioni from 2019-07-24T03:00:54
The rise in sake’s presence at notable restaurants and gastronomic celebrations across the globe in recent years is in no small part due to the individuals that have taken it upon themselves to cra...
ListenSake Glassware Creation w/ Wolfgang Angyal of Riedel Japan (Pt. 2) from 2019-07-13T07:15:31
As promised, the Sake On Air team’s exploration into the sake-specific Daiginjo and Junmai glassware developed by Riedel continues with an interactive tasting led by Riedel Japan President and CEO,...
ListenSake Glassware Creation w/ Wolfgang Angyal of Riedel Japan (Pt. 1) from 2019-07-08T01:07:10
The Sake On Air team recently gathered at the Japan offices of Riedel, renowned Austrian wine varietal-specific glassware makers, to meet with Japan’s President and CEO Wolfgang Angyal in order to ...
ListenTalking Terroir from 2019-06-14T21:28:39
A topic of endless discussion and debate, this week Chris Hughes, Sebastien Lemoine, Marie Nagata and Christopher Pellegrini are joined by Eli Nygren, kurabito (brewer) at Chiyonokame Shuzo in Ehim...
ListenThe Sake&Food Relationship Pt. 1 from 2019-06-02T04:29:35
This week Chris Hughes takes the reigns as we set our sights on what feels to be an ever-moving target: the complex relationship between sake and food. While experience with wine and other beverag...
ListenShochu with Maya Aley and Sake with Jamie Graves from 2019-05-17T01:25:05
We’re back this week with a boozy double-interview featuring one shochu meister and one sake maven. In the first half of this week’s episode of Sake on Air, Christopher Pellegrini interviews May...
ListenLive with Andre Bishop and William Stuart from 2019-04-27T08:39:22
EP 15 – Live with Andre Bishop and William Stuart In March we did four shows, all recorded live at the Aoyama Sake Flea, and who should we bump into than the Sake Samurai, Andre Bishop, and Willia...
ListenDiscovering Shochu with Stephen Lyman from 2019-04-12T02:51:01
Sake is out this week and Shochu is in! Christopher Pellegrini takes the hotseat to interview his partner in crime, Stephen Lyman. Stephen Lyman is the founder of Kampai.us and the East Coast ins...
ListenMuseum of Sake with Natsuki Kikuya / Return of Keith Norum from 2019-03-29T12:36:42
We’ve been telling you that it was coming (since last autumn!) and this week we finally delivered. We’re joined this week by none other than Natsuki Kikuya, founder of Museum of Sake, one of London...
ListenMasumi Sake with Keith Norum from 2019-03-22T02:13:49
This week’s show title tells you all you need to know. For those of you unacquainted with Masumi Sake, the brilliant Nagano-based craft of Miyasaka Brewing Company, you’ve come to the right place. ...
ListenJunmai&Aruten from 2019-03-08T03:50:45
We decided that it was about time we sat down and hashed it out over something that is becoming an increasingly divisive topic in the sake world: to aruten or not to aruten? That is the question th...
ListenBrooklyn Kura with Brian Polen from 2019-02-28T11:10:20
What does it take to realize a dream of American craft sake? And even more specifically, Brooklyn craft sake? This week Chris Hughes and Justin Potts catch up with Brian Polen, co-founder and pre...
ListenSake 101: Unraveling the Basics from 2019-02-14T08:36:46
We’ve got a new twist on an old formula this week. In the interest of fairness, after having done a Shochu 101 episode, we thought it only made sense to give Sake the same treatment. However, u...
ListenSake Year in Review: 2018 Edition from 2019-01-25T08:16:25
A bit of a small miracle, we managed to get the entire Sake On Air entourage in the same room at the same time. A first for the show, we have John, Sebastien, big Chris&little Chris, and Justin all...
ListenSearching for Sake: Sake Tourism in Japan (Pt. 1) from 2019-01-09T07:29:13
Japan has absolutely exploded as a food and dining destination, but how is it as a sake destination? Sure there’s more than enough incredible sake to go around, but will you be able to find it? Are...
ListenShochu 101 from 2018-12-27T12:51:31
It was time to lay the groundwork for our up-and-coming explorations into the worlds of shochu and awamori. Welcome to Shochu 101 – class is in session.
After
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Shochu Mixology and Sake in Paris from 2018-12-13T15:27:21
In recent weeks we’ve had the opportunity to sit down with some exciting guests for special events and interviews, and this week is no different.
First, we’re final...
What Tea & Sake Share; Future of Sake w/ Masumi & WAKAZE [LIVE @ Aoyama Sake Flea] from 2018-11-29T16:20:14
As promised, we’re back again for two straight weeks of live interviews straight from Aoyama Sake Flea, the bi-annual Listen
Farmers Markets & Bettering Our Food with Sake w/ Nancy Singleton Hachisu [LIVE @ Aoyama Sake Flea] from 2018-11-22T01:00:09
Over the next couple weeks (yes, we’ll be going weekly for a short stint!) we’ll deviate a bit from our standard format, but that’s because we have something special lined up!
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State of the Industry from 2018-11-08T12:37:16
How in the world did we get here? Where exactly are we? Where is all this headed?
These are the themes that Christopher Hughes, Sebastien Lemoine and Justin Potts s...
The Cast of Characters from 2018-10-18T01:35:43
And characters they are indeed! We’re giving ourselves one more “warm-up run” before we really dig in, so we thought it only made sense to round the team up at the bar and pass the tokkuri as we re...
ListenSneak Peek from 2018-10-09T01:03:41
Episode 0 – Sneak Peek
Welcome! You’ve just stumbled upon a “sneak peek” at the new Sake On Air podcast, what is soon to be a bi-weekly production examining the st...