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Perspectives

Time as an Ingredient: How Koji Introduced the Fermentation Clock to the Kitchen

English ภาษาไทย 日本語 The Michelin Guide’s inspectors have identified seven food trends for 2026. One of them is “Time Is an Ingredient.” Vegetables, fish, and meat are marinated or left to ferment slowly, in some cases with the introduction of koji. That is how the report frames it. Viewing time as an ingredient might sound […]

Perspectives

Three Years Before “Organic”: The Time Behind a Wine Label

English ภาษาไทย 日本語 Wine labels often carry a small organic certification mark, varying by region of origin. Bottles imported into Bangkok are no exception. Most people read that mark as a statement about the present: “This wine is made using organic farming methods.” That is not wrong. But the mark certifies more than the wine’s […]

Perspectives

How Pasteurization Shapes the Identity of Sake: The Heritage of Autumn’s Hiyaoroshi

English ภาษาไทย 日本語 How Pasteurization Shapes the Identity of Sake: The Heritage of Autumn’s Hiyaoroshi Sake undergoes a delicate process called hiire (pasteurization). After pressing, the liquid is gently warmed to approximately 60°C (140°F) to deactivate naturally occurring enzymes and stabilize its quality. Long before Louis Pasteur scientifically documented the benefits of low-temperature heat treatment […]

Perspectives

Did Jennie Jerome Really Host the First Manhattan? The Origin Story the Dates Do Not Support

The Manhattan's modern ratio is not its original one, and its famous 1874 banquet story conflicts with the historical timeline.

Perspectives

Did “Count Negroni” Really Exist? The Unverified Origins of a Cocktail Known Around the World

English ภาษาไทย 日本語 Did “Count Negroni” Really Exist? The Unverified Origins of a Cocktail Known Around the World Watch the video — Classic Cocktails, Ep.01: Negroni The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, a standard reference work on cocktail history, offers no precise date for the creation of the Negroni. Instead, it places its origin […]

Makers & Origins

Polishing Is Not Only for Rice: The “Migaki-Imo” Behind SHIRAKANE-NO-TSUYU

English ภาษาไทย 日本語 KANPAI Makers’ Choices No.03 Shochu makers have an old saying: “First comes koji, second comes the starter mash, and third comes the rest of the process.” Shirakane Shuzo, based in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, also presents these words on its official website. Koji, fermentation, and distillation are usually where an explanation of shochu […]

HANEYA

Broadening the Brewing Season, Narrowing the Selection: HANEYA KIRABI, Four-Season Brewing, and Nakagumi

English ภาษาไทย 日本語 KANPAI Makers’ Choices No.02 Sake is made in winter. Many people may still carry that image. In Japan, brewing concentrated in the colder months, known as kanzukuri, has indeed been practiced for centuries. Fumigiku Sake Brewery in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, follows a different calendar. Its system of shiki jozo, or four-season […]

Makers & Origins

Rice Polished to 27%, Sake Held at −5°C for One Year: The Design of Shichiken Hakushin

What do 27% rice polishing and one year at −5°C reveal about Shichiken Hakushin? Read the decisions linking Hakushu rice, water, temperature and time.

Getting Started

Choose by the Table: Food, Serving Style, and Occasion

An educational framework for comparing sake, shochu, liqueur and other distilled spirits through food structure, service variables and dining format.

Getting Started

How to Read a Japanese Bottle Label Without Knowing Japanese

A practical guide to four fields that explain a Japanese bottle: category, ingredients when shown, alcohol content, and producer.

Getting Started

Selecting Your First Bottle: A Thoughtful Guide for the Curious Mind

A beginner's guide to choosing Japanese sake, shochu and spirits — four simple ways to narrow the choice without memorizing technical terms.

AWARD : SAKE

A New Measure Beside Technical Mastery

For many years, sake competitions have placed great weight on precision in brewing and the quality of the finished sake: how carefully the rice is polished and how clearly and elegantly the sake is made. The Junmai Daiginjo category represents this emphasis on technical skill. At SAKE COMPETITION 2026, another category stood alongside it with a different measure. Modern Natural evaluates not only the finished sake, but also the philosophy behind its production.