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A Quiet Evolution in Bangkok

KANPAI THAILAND 2026, a Celebration of Japanese Sake and Spirits Over the past few years, the landscape surrounding Japanese sake in Thailand has been quietly, yet unmistakably, changing. Once tucked away in the corners of high-end Japanese restaurants, artisanal sake bottles are now appearing on the menus of Bangkok’s contemporary bistros and wine bars. A […]

DAIYAME, SEKITOBA

The Lychee Aroma Rising from Imo Shochu

Inside Daiyame’s Path of Innovation To many, imo shochu evokes an earthy, robust character. Yet, a single pour of Daiyame 25% ABV｜crafted by Hamada Syuzou in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima｜instantly introduces notes of fresh lychee. How does a sweet potato spirit yield such a vibrant, fruit-forward profile? The secret rests upon two deliberate choices: the evolution of […]

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Why Japanese Gin Alone Is Staying Afloat While the Global Gin Market Sinks

The Quiet Strategy of “Accessible Luxury” During the pandemic, people fell in love with gin. It became a small escape in an uncertain world. A few years later, though, the mood has changed. By 2025, the global spirits market｜including gin｜had largely lost momentum. The boom faded quietly away. And yet, one category moved against the […]

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Steeping 136 Kilograms of Strawberries｜and Finishing Crystal Clear

AWAYUKI Strawberry Gin, and the Day Umenoyado Sake Brewery Was Called a “Disgrace” Until the bottle is opened, no one realizes it is a strawberry gin. AWAYUKI Strawberry Gin is completely colorless｜clear as water, indistinguishable from an ordinary gin. But the moment the cap is twisted open, the aroma of ripe strawberries rises from the […]

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Beyond the Sushi Counter

Curating Operational Context: A Framework for Integration For teams evaluating sake in non-Japanese menu design, a practical framework can be built around three style archetypes rather than a direct sales narrative: a clean aromatic profile for contrast, a structure-heavy sake for savory anchors, and an acid-forward style for balancing richer preparations. Expanding Beyond Traditional Pairing […]

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The Quiet Dedication Behind Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries

In March 2026, the UK-based World Whiskies Awards announced that a Japanese blended malt had been named “Best Japanese Blended Malt.” The winner was Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries from Venture Whisky in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. Created by founder Ichiro Akuto, it is a flagship expression that vats malt whiskies from Chichibu Distillery I and Chichibu […]

AWARD : SHOCHU

Barley Unearthed from Kuma’s Soil

Toyonaga Shuzo’s Mugishiru and Its Four-Time Kura Master Gold Legacy Most modern barley shochu aims for one thing: refinement. Cleaner aromatics, lighter texture, polished smoothness. But one bottle stands in direct opposition to that philosophy. From Toyonaga Shuzo in Yunomae, Kumamoto, comes Mugishiru, a barley shochu built not on subtraction, but on depth, weight, and the […]

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Hakushu’s Famed Water and the 1880 Imperial Lodging

The Birthplace of Yamanashi Meijo’s “Shichiken Onakaya” When people hear “Hakushu,” many think of the Suntory Hakushu Distillery. But there is another brewery that has long used the same underground water from the Ojira River｜the soft water filtered over thousands of years through the granite layers of Mount Kaikoma in the Southern Alps｜that serves as […]

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Removing a Mainstream Assumption

An Intellectual Shift in Cultivating Craft Culture Three Disparate Threads One morning, three pieces of material were sitting on my desk. One was a note regarding KUMA TOMATO, a unique tomato-based liqueur from Tsutsumi Distillery, a respected Kuma shochu producer in Kumamoto Prefecture. Another was a summary of Takafumi Nakanishi’s book, Next-Generation AI: Japan’s Path to Victory. […]

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A Masterpiece from a Legend Who Cannot Drink

Naohiko Noguchi’s brewing work and the Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute’s Organic Rice Junmai Ginjo Unfiltered Unpasteurized Genshu 2019, made using JAS-certified organic Gohyakumangoku rice.

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Preserving 400 Casks

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain White Label and the 400-Year Legacy of the Akuto Family In Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, there is a company called Venture Whisky. Its founder is Ichiro Akuto, the 21st-generation head of a sake-brewing family whose roots go back to 1625. Akuto and Venture Whisky have long been regarded in the global whisky […]

AWARD : SAKE

In the Heart of Kyoto Stands a 300-Year-Old Sake Brewery

With the slogan “Trust your own palate,” the Sake-1 Grand Prix ranks sake from breweries across Japan by votes from tasters. Held each year at Matsuo Taisha in Kyoto, it is a rare competition in the sake world where consumers’ impressions directly determine the results. At the 9th competition, held on April 19, 2026, one bottle selected for third place was Matsui Sake Brewery’s “Kagura” from Kyoto.

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