Drink
Understanding “Origin” in Sake as the Climate Shifts
Rice fields, brewing water and brewery location each tell a different part of sake’s origin as the climate shifts.
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Blog
Stories of makers, ingredients, places and the decisions behind Japan's most compelling drinks.
Drink
The Architecture of Flavor: Defining the Four Expressions of Sakurao Distillery
Four gins from Sakurao Distillery reveal how botanical origin, a coastal plant and added floral aromas shape different expressions.
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Perspectives
Thailand’s Draft Amendment: A Proposed Shift in Domestic Alcohol Production Rules
On May 13, 2025, Thailand's Cabinet approved in principle a draft amendment revising the regulations governing domestic alcohol production.
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Perspectives
The Shape of the Glass Changes More Slowly Than the Wine: The Champagne Coupe and Flute
In 1874, Madame Louise Pommery, who headed the Pommery champagne house in France's Champagne region, created a champagne for the London market with significantly less sugar.
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Perspectives
The Quiet Arrival of Mezcal in Bangkok: What a Single Bottle Can Reveal
In Bangkok's Charoenkrung district, a number of bars feature shelves quietly lined with mezcal crafted by small-scale producers in Mexico. Hotel bars, too, carry selections of agave spirits. Thailand imposes steep duties on imported alcohol, compounded by distribution costs and taxes at each stage.
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Drink
Koshu from Yamanashi and Pinot Noir from Yoichi: What Place Names Reveal About Japanese Wine
Bringing the name of a grape variety to the world. Protecting the name of a place. Nurturing the next generation of winemakers. Each of these efforts forms part of the story behind Japanese wine.
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Drink
The Differences in Barrel-Aged Shochu Begin Before the Barrel
Sake lees, fermentation, aging, and bottling: tracing the character of seven spirits through how they are made.
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Drink
Six Expressions from One Rice: The Distinct Personalities of Six BORN Sakes
Place these six BORN labels side by side, and differences in polishing ratios and maturation periods immediately stand out. Yet numbers alone do not reveal the character of each sake.
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Drink
“Authorized Distributor” Status Is Reviewed Annually: Juyondai and Official Distribution in Thailand
On July 1, 2026, a certificate was issued jointly by Takagi Shuzo of Yamagata Prefecture and Japan Craft Sake Company Co., Ltd., a company whose name appears alongside Takagi Shuzo in Juyondai's official brand book.
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Drink
720 Milliliters and Four Gō: The Edo-Period Standard on Modern Sake Bottles
On shelves across Bangkok, sake and wine often sit side by side. Wine commonly comes in 750 ml bottles, while sake typically comes in 720 ml or 1.8-liter bottles. The 30 ml difference between the wine and sake bottles seems slight, yet 720 ml remains a curiously specific number in the metric world.
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