Nanbu Bijin Sake: Their Story, Style, and Brands
Few breweries are as popular with sake professionals as Nanbu Bijin. They put Iwate sake on the map and are largely responsible for popularizing ginjo-shu in Japan.
In this post, you’ll learn their history, why their sake is so good, and where to get some of your own.
The Top Whisky Producing Countries: Where Does Japan Rank?
We dug up some interesting statistics about whisky production volume. Depending on who you ask, Japan is either the fourth or third biggest global producer of whisky. Or are they fifth?
The confusion comes from several factors. One is that India makes the most “whisky” in the world, but this output is whisky only in name. The vast majority of this stuff is a cane-based distillate that’s unaged. Caramel coloring, and other flavoring additives, are used to replicate real whisky. This may be topped off with a bit of Scotch for complexity.
Sounds a bit like Japanese whiskies of the past.
Some of this Indian whisky is excellent, of course. Amrut is one of the better single malt producers in the world.
Another confusing factor at play is Japan’s reliance on foreign whisky in many of their brands. In Japan, it’s legal to import Scotch, Bourbon, or Canadian whisky and bottle it as Japanese whisky.
There’s so much complexity in the Japanese whisky market that it can be overwhelming. Check out our guide to Japanese whisky to get a better understanding of the market, its history, buying tips, and more.
The Top 6 Japanese Beers Compared
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Sapporo and Asahi?
Here’s a hint: not much.
Among the top six mainstream beers, there is some variation, however.
Find out how they’re similar and how they’re different in this fun comparison post.
Yamada Nishiki: The King of Sake Rice
No sake rice is as highly-prized as Yamada Nishiki. It’s often called the king of sake rice because it can make super high-quality sake.
A century after this rice was born, it’s more popular than ever.
In this article, we explain why, where it’s grown, and what famous sake use this rice type.
Japanese Alcohol: the Best of the Internet
Mossback’s Northwest: The Bootleg Sake of Prohibition-era Seattle
Did you know that during US prohibition, Japanese-Americans were producing sake, shochu, and “Japanese whisky” to fuel the black market demand for alcohol?
I certainly did not.
Despite some confusion from the author about what these beverages really are/were, I LOVE this article. This is a highly recommended read for sake fans and alcoholic historians alike.
Check out the article from Crosscut. It has an embedded video if that’s more your style.
The End of Domestic Wine in 17th Century Japan
The island of Kyushu was home to a budding wine region before it was abruptly terminated by the shogunate. But why?
Spoiler alert: it was associated too closely with Christianity.
There’s more to it than that, of course. Get the story from Ancient Origins.
Hakushu 12 Year Single Malt Returns to Japan
As a sign of progress, Hakushu 12 Year has been reintroduced into the Japanese market. And while supplies didn’t run out in the States, there was real fear it might disappear.
Let’s hope this is the beginning of more discontinued Japanese whiskies re-entering the fold.
Check out the update from Timeout.
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