On October 17, 2020, nine sake experts gathered at the Hawaii Convention Center to judge 502 sake submitted from Japan, the United States and Mexico for the 20th annual U.S. National Sake Appraisal.

Holiday gatherings are a little tricky this year. We want to keep safe but as the holidays roll in, it becomes more difficult to keep to ourselves.

Yamamoto Honke was established in 1677 in the Fushimi Ward of Kyoto Prefecture. Fushimi is home to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Japan’s best-known Shinto shrine which serves as the headquarters for over 30,000 Inari shrines all over Japan.

When I learned that Tippsy would be offering a set of Hakkaisan sake, I couldn’t wait to try it. Hakkaisan was one of the first brands I purposely tried and shared with others, and it was even more memorable to me because we had interviewed Timothy Sullivan, Sake Samurai, Sake Educator and Hakkaisan Global Ambassador, for our first Spotlight interview.

Asabiraki “Suijin” is one of the popular sakes produced by Asabiraki Brewery located in Iwate Prefecture.

For many sake enthusiasts outside of Japan, myself included, drinking Dassai was a revelatory “Wow!” moment.

As the Japanese culinary trend evolves and consumers become familiar with sake, sommeliers are increasingly observing the rise of the importance of “sake and food pairing”. As a wine sommelier, I would like to introduce comprehensive sake pairing ideas for wine lovers and sake beginners, with reference to widely-recognized wine theories.

As sake attracts growing interest among international sommeliers, the idea of cheese and sake pairing has become a trendy topic.