Shows / Sake On Air
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.
Episodes
- Sake On Air
Listener Questions: August 2021 Edition
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…
- Sake On Air
Sparkling Sake Interviews: Ichinokura & Shichiken
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…
- Sake On Air
Deconstructing Sparkling Sake
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…
- Sake On Air
Rakugo Storytelling (and Sake) with Katsura Sunshine
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…
- Sake On Air
Sohomare Sake With Brewery President Jun Kono
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…
- Sake On Air
Serving Up Shochu
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…
- Sake On Air
North American Sake Rice & Agriculture with Isbell Farms Part 2
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…
- Sake On Air
North American Sake Rice & Agriculture with Isbell Farms Part 1
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…
- Sake On Air
Matured Sake, Aged Sake
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…
- Sake On Air
Okawari: U.S. Love of Nigori with “The Sake Ninja”
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…
- Sake On Air
The Murky Waters of Nigori Sake
There’s a fascinating schism that’s emerged between the domestic and international markets’ relationship with nigori-style sake over that past few decades…
- Sake On Air
Sake Future Summit 2020 Revisited (Part 2)
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…
- Sake On Air
Water, Wood, and Wild Things (and Sake!) with Hannah Kirshner
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…
- Sake On Air
Understanding Umeshu with Todd Van Horne
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…
- Sake On Air
Sake Future Summit 2020 Revisited (Part 1)
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…
- Sake On Air
Fushimi Sake with Ayuko Yamaguchi
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…
- Sake On Air
Amazake with Shoko Baba of Hakkaisan
How many of our listeners are familiar with amazake? Despite having clear progenitor qualities to this show’s favorite beverage, this non-alcoholic…
- Sake On Air
Kura Master with Xavier Thuizat
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…
- Sake On Air
Pottery and Sake with Robert Yellin
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…
- Sake On Air
Kioke, Shoyu, Sake, and Fermentation
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…
- Sake On Air
Two-year Anniversary Special (Live)
Thank you. Two years ago Sebastien, Big Chris, Justin, John and Little Chris huddled around some microphones after-hours at the Japan Sake & Shochu…
- Sake On Air
Kurabito Life
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…
- Sake On Air
Hannyatou: Chef Soma & Russell King
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…
- Sake On Air
The SG Shochu with Joshin Atone
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…
- Sake On Air
The State of Sake Amidst COVID 19: Part 2
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…
- Sake On Air
The State of Sake Amidst COVID 19: Part 1
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…
- Sake On Air
Natsuzake is Summer Sake
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…
- Sake On Air
Shochu Talk: 1st Edition
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…
- Sake On Air
Tahoma Fuji Sake with Andrew Neyens
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…
- Sake On Air
Sake’s Missing Link with Pernod Ricard’s Yann Soenen
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…
- Sake On Air
Know Your Hosts: Rebekah Wilson-Lye & John Gauntner
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…
- Sake On Air
Dojima Sake with Tony Mitchell
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…
- Sake On Air
Hot Sake (Kanzake) 101
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…
- Sake On Air
Awamori 101
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…
- Sake On Air
Building a Brewery Down Under with Zenkuro & Melbourne Sake (Part 2)
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…
- Sake On Air
Building Breweries Down Under with Zenkuro & Melbourne Sake (Part 1)
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…
- Sake On Air
Know Your Hosts: Marie Nagata & Justin Potts
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…
- Sake On Air
Tengu Sake with Oliver Hilton-Johnson
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 carefully curated…
- Sake On Air
Know Your Hosts: Shuso Imada & Chris Hughes
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)…
- Sake On Air
Aroma & Sake
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…
- Sake On Air
Celebrating 1 Year of Sake On Air
We’ve been doing this for an entire year (and then some) already! To commemorate we decided to get the entire cast together (minus John, sadly, who was fully…
- Sake On Air
Shochu & Spirits with Philip Duff
It was right around this very same time last year that we sat down with a whole slew of splendid bartenders and mixologists to discuss shochu following their…
- Sake On Air
Sake in Portland with Marcus Pakiser & Midori Nakazawa
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 Pacific Northwest and along…
- Sake On Air
Know Your Hosts: Christopher Pellegrini & Sebastien Lemoine
Over the past year of doing Sake On Air, believe it or not, one of the most highly requested show topics that we get from our listeners has been for us to do a…
- Sake On Air
Guide to Japanese Drinks w/ Stephen Lyman
This week’s episode is especially timely, as Justin managed to squeeze in an interview with Stephen Lyaman to coincide with the launch of his brand new book…
- Sake On Air
Brewing in Japan w/ Cody Brailsford
Cody Brailsford is a rather rare breed. Now fuku-toji (assistant head brewer) as of this recording, at Watanabe Sake Brewery, makers of Hourai brand sake in…
- Sake On Air
Zaku Interview w/ President Shinichiro Shimizu
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…
- Sake On Air
Koji Basics
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…
- Sake On Air
Rice Types
This week John Gauntner takes over as master of ceremonies, as Rebekah Wilson-Lye, Chris Hughes and Justin Potts combine…
- Sake On Air
Sake in Spain w/ Pablo Alomar Salvioni
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…
- Sake On Air
Sake Glassware Creation w/ Wolfgang Angyal of Riedel Japan (Pt. 2)
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…
- Sake On Air
Sake Glassware Creation w/ Wolfgang Angyal of Riedel Japan (Pt. 1)
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…
- Sake On Air
Talking Terroir
A topic of endless discussion and debate, this week Chris Hughes, Sebastien Lemoine, Marie Nagata and Christopher Pellegrini are joined by Eli Nygren, kurabito…
- Sake On Air
The Sake & Food Relationship Pt. 1
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…
- Sake On Air
Shochu with Maya Aley and Sake with Jamie Graves
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…
- Sake On Air
Live with Andre Bishop and William Stuart
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 On Air
Discovering Shochu with Stephen Lyman
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…
- Sake On Air
Museum of Sake with Natsuki Kikuya / Return of Keith Norum
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…
- Sake On Air
Masumi Sake with Keith Norum
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…
- Sake On Air
Junmai & Aruten
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…