I’m often asked by Americans, “I often use wine for cooking, but can I also use Japanese sake?” Japanese sake contains many umami flavors not found in wine, so it’s great that they can be used in anything. Eliminating odorsOf course, sake is not only effective in eliminating odors from fish and seaf...

By Yuji MatsumotoIn the past twenty years, Japanese beer, sake and shochu sales have expanded according to the increasing number of Japanese restaurants opening. There is plenty of growth potential for the Japanese restaurant industry in the U.S., which constitutes only two percent of the scale of t...

Experience and knowledge are indispensable for sake tasting, but doing many tastings absent-mindedly does not help.Many tend to think that a person must have an excellent sense of judging taste (to have people think that way is very flattering), but that isn’t necessarily so. Also, those who wish to...

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:- While the economy is slowly recovering, customers are still reluctant to loosen their purse...

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...

By Yuji MatsumotoIt’s simple to state that sake is a beverage of taste, selected and consumed according to individual preferences. However, “delicious” share the following common characteristics:• Sweetness• Acidity• Saltiness• Bitterness • Umami flavorsThe balance between these common elements is i...

By Yuji MatsumotoThe number of Japanese sake brands available in the U.S. is increasing annually with approximately 450 brands offered domestically. C...