When the Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937, food shortages started and sake rice was restricted, which reduced the volume of sake produced year-by-y...

By Yuji MatsumotoIf you ask me if I enjoy having cocktails, my answer would be no. But that’s my personal preference. Develop sake and shochu cocktails at the restaurant and sell it. These cocktails are actually more popular, so I even have a “Sake Bomb” (a mix of hot sake and beer) on the menu. Oth...

By Yuji MatsumotoRecently in the U.S., wine discount stores like BevMo and Total Wine and More, etc., are prosperous. Also, rural areas have local large liquor stores that sell various alcoholic beverages (tequila, ji-beer (local craft beers), champagne, whiskey, etc.) in addition to wine. When I we...

By Yuji MatsumotoWhile sake and food pairing is now the norm, why not try to change your perception in your approach? While comparisons are made regularly, wine is compared to other wine, sake is compared to other sake, and shochu is compared to other shochu. This is great to compare the subtle diff...

By Yuji MatsumotoFrom the beginning, the successful foreign alcoholic beverage in the U.S. is of course wine. Not limited to French or Italian restaurants, wine selections are also offered in Japanese, Chinese and Mexican restaurants as well. Moreover, supermarkets carry hundreds of wine selections,...

By Yuji MatsumotoThis is a trend I’ve recently noticed in the last two to three years, but I’ve noticed a widening division between the winning vs. losing brands of sake and shochu. The reason is as follows:• The selling products vs. those that don’t are clear at the storefront• At restaurants, labo...

By Yuji MatsumotoMany people have never tried Japanese sake, and even if they have, the most they’ve tried is hot sake. Hardly any will remember the brand name., say “This is a great, try it” and offer a sample with a smile. And once a customer appears interested, take the opportunity to simply expl...

By Yuji MatsumotoIf you ask me if I enjoy having cocktails, my answer would be no. But that’s my personal preference. Develop sake and shochu cocktails at the restaurant and sell it. These cocktails are actually more popular, so I even have a “Sake Bomb” (a mix of hot sake and beer) on the menu. Oth...

By Yuji MatsumotoDealing with many consumers on a daily basis making proposals on sake, I realize that there are requisite key points. Going over these points alone makes the conversation a success. Roughly speaking, there are four points. The first is aroma. Explain the strength of the product’s ar...

By Yuji MatsumotoWhile I’ve written repeatedly in the past about the lack of marketing efforts in branding Japanese sake bottles, it’s very disappointing that most breweries still haven’t implemented my suggestions. Every time a new Japanese sake product is introduced, many manufacturers still use l...