Journal

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

Assortment Planning

Before Adding Shochu to a Bangkok Menu｜Three Things to Consider

Three questions before adding shochu to a Bangkok menu: its category, the restaurant’s purpose and each product’s intended use, with DAIYAME 40 and The SG Shochu MUGI.

Drink

Falling Volumes, Diverging Price Segments: Reading the U.S. Wine Market’s “Hourglass” from Thailand

The U.S. wine market is shrinking in both volume and value, but not evenly. A U.S. bank’s annual industry report likens its shape to an hourglass, with some price tiers growing while others contract. This article reads those figures from Thailand and looks at purchases tier by tier.

Drink

“Nakadori” Is Not a Quality Grade: Where Arabashiri, Nakadori, and Seme Emerge During Pressing

Arabashiri, nakadori and seme are often presented as quality grades. The JSS glossary describes them instead as the order in which sake emerges during pressing and the force applied, and each brewery decides where its middle fraction begins and ends.

Drink

Is “Premiumization” Really About Price?｜Rethinking Thailand’s Alcohol Market Through the Lens of “Occasions”

Is premiumization really about price? Since 2022, global price growth for alcoholic beverages has lagged inflation. This article reads Thailand’s market through occasions and order purposes, and suggests recording the reason behind each order.

Drink

Ginjo-zukuri Recommended as an Important Intangible Cultural Property｜Toji Noguchi Naohiko Recommended as Its Holder

On October 16, 2026, Japan's Council for Cultural Affairs recommended that ginjo-zukuri be designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property, with toji Noguchi Naohiko certified as its holder. This article explains what is new, how the Agency describes ginjo-zukuri, and the career behind the recommendation.

Drink

Is Amazake a Winter Drink?｜From Seasonal Festivals to Year-Round Shelves, and to a Clear Bottle

In haiku, amazake is a word for summer. Today its sales peak in both winter and summer. This article separates sake kasu amazake from rice koji amazake, looks at how amazake is reaching shelves abroad, and introduces KOJI CLEAR, a clear amazake from Akita.

Drink

The Third Thursday of November｜Beaujolais Nouveau and the Date That Signals the Season

A shared release date, different seasonal timelines: Beaujolais Nouveau, hiyaoroshi and how the date is understood in Japan and Thailand. Bacchus Global does not carry Beaujolais Nouveau.

Drink

How Dry Is “Brut”?｜Understanding the Range of Sweetness Indicated by Champagne Labels

“Brut” marks an upper limit on sweetness: less than 12 grams of sugar per liter. Its range partly overlaps with Extra Brut and Brut Nature, and the producer chooses which category to use. Two cuvées from Bruno Paillard show how to read label terms as a range.

Food

Purpose Before Preservation｜Kitchen Circularity at Baan Tepa

From fermented ingredients to garden compost and tabletop objects, Baan Tepa describes different uses for kitchen materials. An exploration of the decisions that come before processing.

Drink

How Time Is Defined in Franciacorta｜Minimum Bottle Aging and the Three Conditions of Satèn

Franciacorta's production regulations set a minimum period on the lees for each type: 18, 24, 30 and 60 months. The regulations also define three conditions for Satèn: white grapes only, Brut only, and a bottle pressure of no more than 5 atmospheres.

Age Verification