Sake Recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage

Episode 182. In December of 2024 "Sake" received a special recognition from UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO is probably most famous for recognizing cultural heritage sites... like Mount Fuji or Himeji Castle.  But in the case of of sake made with koji, it was recognized officially as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". How cool is that? While this is not exactly hot-off-the-presses breaking news, we wanted to take a moment to recognize and reflect on this milestone.  The craft of making sake with koji is worth protecting, celebrating and handing down to the next generation of artisans.  Join us as we sip some some sake and enjoy our favorite Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity together. #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 181. Sake Day, celebrated every year on October 1st, will be here before you know it, and Sake Revolution is here to be your guide! In this special episode, John and Timothy map out the most exciting Sake Day celebrations happening across the country in 2025, from San Francisco’s legendary 20th anniversary Sake Day to exciting events in Boston, Denver, D.C., San Diego, and New York. For devoted sake fans, Sake Day feels like all our favorite holidays rolled up into one, and we can't wait to celebrate it. Wherever you are on your sake journey, let us help you plan the perfect place to have your own Kanpai on Sake Day!  #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 180. In this episode, we again shine a light on the role of Sake Yeast in our series known as the Kobo Chronicles. “Irradiation” and “mutant” are not typical words you’d find in sake marketing, but Tokushima Prefecture makes it work in promoting their “LED YUME” sake yeast. By exposing yeast to blue LED lights, they’ve created new strains of sake yeast for use specifically by Tokushima Prefecture breweries. The brewers at Narutotai have taken this yeast and made a sake that give us sweet flavors – we’re talking jammy notes of pineapple and mango. A noticeably high acidity balances out the sweetness and rounds out the palate. If you’d like to see the major role that a mutant yeast variety can play in a sake, join us and listen in! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 179. This week, John and Timothy explore another brand profile: Hououbiden from Kobayashi Shuzo in Tochigi Prefecture.  How does a brewery go from the edge of bankruptcy to become a coveted cult sake? To quote Huey Lewis, that's the power of love!  This brewery is managed by the rare combination of a husband who is the brewery president and a wife who is the Master Brewer/Toji. The sake they make is etherial and elegant. Today's tasting - the Hououbiden "Asahi Mai" Junmai Daiginjo - left Timothy speechless... and John was thrilled - with the sake! Join us as we explore the flavors and compelling story of Hououbiden together!  #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 178.  In this episode join John and Timothy as they interview Keith Norum.  Keith is a well known figure in the sake industry and he has represented the Masumi brand of sake since 2005.  Keith tells us his story of getting to Japan and finding his way to the world of sake.  What's it like working at a traditional Japanese sake brewery?  Keith gives us a peek behind the noren!  Together we all taste one of the most popular Masumi sakes in the market outside Japan - Masumi Shiro Junmai Ginjo - a light and breezy delight!  Join us and listen in as we chat with our good buddy in Nagano!  #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 177. If we think about sake, usually an image of a glass bottle pops to mind.  But if we scratch the surface and investigate a bit more the way that sake is packaged and shipped, there is a world of variety out there you may not have considered! This leads us to one of our series we are calling "Funky Packaging"... think of it as sake beyond the glass bottle.  Cups, bags, paks, and today's packaging - the Joto One Cup - a special paper cup that makes sake accessible on the go. Listen in as we explore another variation of funky packaging with a graffiti twist.  #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 176. With 2024 over and done, it's time to take a look back at the sake year that was.  Join us this week for some casual sipping and some discussion on the highlights, surprises and challenges of this past year's sake adventures. Tim and John both let us know their favorite episodes from the past year and we also take a guess at the most downloaded episode from 2024. It's also the moment of truth to review our "Sake Revolution Resolutions" - Did we achieve our goals? Whatever the outcome, we look forward to another year of great sake and many kanpais. Wishing you good sake in 2025! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 175.  Join us this week for another wide-ranging sake interview.  We are welcoming Lucas Smolic, the founder of the Sake Brewers Guild, to the podcast.  Lucas started in engineering but found his way to sake which evolved into a deep passion for sake brewing.  This inspired the development of the Sake Brewers Guild with its mission to make learning the skills of sake brewing accessible to all. Among other things, we discovered that the Guild is supporting and connecting sake brewers on ALL SEVEN continents (yes, including Antarctica!). As we chat, we taste a savory Tokubetsu Honjozo from Takeda Shuzo - a brewery in Niigata, Japan that welcomed Lucas for an internship. If you've ever considered giving sake brewing a go yourself, this episode is not to be missed!   #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 174. This week we welcome a sake personality from Quebec, Canada to the studio – Mr. Benoit Champagne. With a name like Mr. Champagne, you might well think Benoit was destined for a life involved with sparkling wine, but luckily for the sake lovers of Quebec, he found his way first to Japan and discovered a love of sake, which he now guides breweries to exporting in Canada. Benoit also worked for years as a non-Japanese brewer and export manager at a Japanese sake brewery, which we also discuss in this episode. Listen in as we sip on and explore the je ne sais quoi of a delicious sake recommended by Benoit, Zaku Ho no Tomo Junmai. Join us! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show

Episode 173. World Sake Day comes once a year on Oct 1st.  For sake fans across the globe, this is our big holiday... think Christmas-4th of July-Halloween all rolled into one! What better way for us to mark the day then with a live recording of Sake Revolution in front of a studio audience and featuring an interview and tasting with our two New York City Tojis: Brandon Doughan of Brooklyn Kura and Shinobu Kato of Kato Sake Works. Our friends and sake fans who attended this live recording at the Brooklyn Kura Taproom on Oct 1st, 2024, got to taste along with us as we explored the sake and the stories of these two outstanding brewers.  We also welcomed audience questions for a fun-filled roundtable of sake exploration and learning - with lots of laughs along the way.  Listen in as we celebrate Sake Day 2024 live and in person! #SakeRevolutionSupport the show