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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Drink

The Nuances of Room Temperature: Pasteurization and Environmental Realities

In Japanese bottle shops, arrayed alongside cold displays, many bottles of sake rest quietly on open shelves.

Drink

Two Fruits Differ Only in Juice. One Also Carries Wine.

English ภาษาไทย 日本語 Among the SHIROI liqueurs made by Sakurao Distillery (operated by SAKURAO Brewery and Distillery Co., Ltd., Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima), three bottles stand side by side: Lychee, La France and Chardonnay. Lined up, their ingredient labels share a great deal. White rose spirits, sugars, pasteurised cultured milk beverage, sweetened condensed milk, and fruit juice. […]

Drink

SAKE HUNDRED: Three Distinct Expressions Named Category Champions at the Oriental Sake Awards 2026

Three SAKE HUNDRED labels have been named category champions at the Oriental Sake Awards 2026, a sake competition held in Hong Kong. Spanning three distinct categories across ginjo, namazake, and aged sake, the awards illuminate how a single brand explores the possibilities of sake through markedly different paths.

Drink

Who Decides What Makes a “Good Drink”? — Bangkok’s Dining Table and a Wine Writer’s Binary Choice

In October 2025, an international wine writer published a lengthy article about food and wine in Bangkok. Its conclusion was straightforward: in this city, you have to choose between prioritizing authentic Thai food and making wine the star of the meal.

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