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Stories of makers, ingredients, places and the decisions behind Japan's most compelling drinks.

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N by Hidetoshi Nakata

THE GENESIS OF A VISION Following his retirement from his professional football (soccer) career, Hidetoshi Nakata spent seven years traveling throughout Japan’s forty-seven prefectures to learn more about Japanese culture and craftsmanship. Of all the traditions he encountered, sake brewing in particular captured his attention. “My goal: to bring Japan’s precious assets to the world […]

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Sake That Smells Like Bananas? The Science Behind SMV −0.2

On May 28, 2025, the Hiroshima Industry Hall was heavy with early-summer humidity. The moment the doors opened, a sweet mix of banana, pear, and green-apple aromas swept through the room. This was the tasting session of the National New Sake Appraisal. Along the long stainless-steel tables stood 809 fresh labels, and about 500 brewers […]

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Gin Pure Folie – The Strawberry Gin from Combier Distillery

Gin “Pure Folie” is another exclusive – and daring – creation from Distillery Combier. It embodies a veritable revolution in the world of French artisan gins. Distilled in limited series, in ‘Small Batches’ production in the distillery’s swan-neck stills to ensure superior quality, it stands out for its boldness and modernity. The secret of its […]

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Pure folie – Liqueur et Gin

Here is yet another bold invention of this Master Distiller magician, an ode to strawberry in the form of a liquor of great elegance, combining character and vivacity. On its right bank, on the site of its former bed, which is now contained by a structure called “La Levée”, an earthen embankment, or dike, that […]

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Elixir COMBIER

At the origin of the Combier Distillery, besides the famous orange liqueur, the “Triple Sec” which we introduced in a previous post, there is a second product: the “Elixir Combier”, a medicinal liqueur created twenty years later, in 1853, by the same talented creator and Master Distiller Jean-Baptiste Combier. “L’Elixir COMBIER,hygienic dessert liqueur” The story […]

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COMBIER Original

In the presentation of this atypical distillery, nestled in the heart of the “Jardin de la France”, in Saumur, on the banks of the Loire, let’s start with the beginning, the creation, in 1834, of the emblematic product at the origin of the distillery, “L’Original Combier”, an orange liqueur invented in 1834 by Jean-Baptiste Combier […]

DAIYAME, SEKITOBA

The Birthplace of Triple Sec, 190 Years of Combier Distillery Magic

Bacchus Global TV Travel with us to Saumur in France’s Loire Valley and step inside Combier Distillery—the officially designated Living Heritage Company where the world’s first triple sec was born in 1834. Discover how engineers from Gustave Eiffel’s team helped design the still room, how absinthe was reborn after a century-long ban, and why Vodka […]

DAIYAME, SEKITOBA

Reinventing Shochu: Inside Daiyame & CHILL GREEN’s Flavor Revolution | Hamada Shuzo

Bacchus Global TV Discover how Hamada Shuzo from Kagoshima, Japan is shattering stereotypes about imo‑shochu. The smash‑hit brand Daiyame delivers an unexpected lychee aroma thanks to the brewery’s proprietary Kōjuku‑imo technique, making shochu approachable for beginners. Next‑generation label CHILL GREEN dives even deeper with two expressions—Spicy & Citrus featuring Taiwanese spice “maqaw,” and Bitter & Tropical infused […]

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Kura Master 2025

 Kura Master is a sake competition held in Paris that began in 2017, and its key feature is that the judges are limited to French sommeliers and staff from Michelin-starred restaurants. The main yardstick is “compatibility with gastronomy.” In other words, the lively synergy created when the sake is paired with food matters more than […]

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Gin Meridor

As you may have guessed, this success – which received its second AWARD SPIRIT GOLD OUTSTANDING 2025 at the IWSC 2025 with a score of 98 points – doesn’t come from nowhere. The Art and Science of Gin Meridor distillation At the heart of the Combier Distillery, the long swan neck alembics are the guardians […]

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