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The Japanese Sake Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Great Sake
**2021 Gourmand Cookbook Award Winner for Japan in Spirits and Other Drinks**
The Japanese Sake Bible is the ultimate book about Japan's national drink--from its history, culture and production methods to how to choose the best sake and recommended food pairings.
Author Brian Ashcraft--the author of the popular guide Japanese Whisky --has put together lively commentaries based on dozens of interviews with master brewers and sake experts across Japan. His fascinating stories are accompanied by over 300 full-color photographs, maps and drawings.
A unique feature of this book is that it includes reviews, tasting notes, scores and a buying guide for over 100 of the leading sake brands, written by respected Japanese sake expert Takashi Eguchi. These include all the sakes most commonly found outside Japan. Each sake has a photo of the label, tasting notes, a score and recommended food pairings. Information on the leading brewers is provided, and the sakes are grouped by flavor profile.
Japanese sake is brewed worldwide today and is winning over many converts. A foreword by sake connoisseur and world-renowned DJ Richie Hawtin addresses the spread in global popularity and the shared mission of making this specialty beverage as accessible as possible. With the help of this book you'll soon become an expert in selecting, serving and enjoying Japan's favorite drink.
The Japanese Sake Bible is the ultimate book about Japan's national drink--from its history, culture and production methods to how to choose the best sake and recommended food pairings.
Author Brian Ashcraft--the author of the popular guide Japanese Whisky --has put together lively commentaries based on dozens of interviews with master brewers and sake experts across Japan. His fascinating stories are accompanied by over 300 full-color photographs, maps and drawings.
A unique feature of this book is that it includes reviews, tasting notes, scores and a buying guide for over 100 of the leading sake brands, written by respected Japanese sake expert Takashi Eguchi. These include all the sakes most commonly found outside Japan. Each sake has a photo of the label, tasting notes, a score and recommended food pairings. Information on the leading brewers is provided, and the sakes are grouped by flavor profile.
Japanese sake is brewed worldwide today and is winning over many converts. A foreword by sake connoisseur and world-renowned DJ Richie Hawtin addresses the spread in global popularity and the shared mission of making this specialty beverage as accessible as possible. With the help of this book you'll soon become an expert in selecting, serving and enjoying Japan's favorite drink.
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2020
27 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Brian Ashcraft
11 books47 followersBrian Ashcraft is a writer based in Japan. He is the Senior Contributing Editor for video game site Kotaku. Ashcraft was previously a Contributing Editor at Wired Magazine and his work has also appeared in Popular Science, The Guardian, The Japan Times, and design journal Metropolis Magazine as well as publications in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy and South Africa. He has been interviewed about technology, subcultures, and gaming on television in both the United States and Japan.
Ashcraft is originally from Texas and now lives in Osaka with his wife and three sons.
Ashcraft is originally from Texas and now lives in Osaka with his wife and three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 26, 2021
This is truly a "bible" for the sake connoisseur. All you need to know, and then some!
November 7, 2021
Sake is the heart of Japan. It’s magical, mystical and historically rich. It tells of stories that are thousands of years old and the tireless efforts of master craftsmen brewing fantastic booze. It’s a bridge between worlds, connecting western drinkers with a beverage that opens up a whole new world of drinking opportunities. It’s transformative, always changing, altering perceptions wherever it’s experienced.
Sake is all of these things and more. Brian Ashcraft’s The Japanese Sake Bible does an exceptional job of capturing all the qualities that make nihonshu one of the most diverse and exciting drinks in the world. Chock full of detail from leading sake brewers and poetic tasting notes, The Japanese Sake Bible is perfect for anyone who wants to worship at the altar of nihonshu.
There are loads of great books about sake out there. John Gaunter’s Sake Confidential and Stephen Lyman’s The Complete Guide To Japanese Drinks comes to mind. But Ashcraft’s book may be the most comprehensive guide on sake to date. It stands out with fascinating anecdotes from different brewers and rare information from all corners of the globe.
A great example is a piece on master cask maker Takeshi Tamura and the process involved with making barrels for taruzake (cask sake). In the modern day, taruzake is an unconventional type of nihonshu. But prior to the 20thcentury, it was common across Japan and the Masamune Brewery are one of the few breweries to produce cask sake in bulk.
Tamura’s story and connection to taruzake is intriguing and the process behind making the barrels is well worth reading about.
Another example is the discovery of the legendary sake water miyamizu by a sake brewer called Tazaemon Yamura VI in 1840. Before this discovery, sake brewers believed water was simply water. But all this changed when Yamamura found that there was a noticeable difference in the sake produced at his brewery in Nishinomiya compared to his brewery in Uozaki.
At first, he swapped out the brewery workers, but found that the Nishinomiya nihonshu was still better. Then he moved onto using the same brewing process and the result was still the same. Finally, Yamamura realised it was the water and transported it from Nishinomiya to Uozaki by oxcart. Nishinomiya no mizu (Nishinomiya water) became miyamizu for short and the rest is history.
It’s these kind of details that make the book pop with character and life. Readers can appreciate the backstories of individual breweries and the people who work in them.
This is shown by the stories of America’s first sake breweries, like the Japan Brewery Company in California, which ran from 1902 to 1906, to longer-lived businesses like the Honolulu sake brewery in Hawaii.
In addition to the wealth of knowledge from Ashcraft, The Japanese Sake Bible features detailed tasting notes from Takashi Eguchi. With over 100 sake recommendations, it could be easy to get overwhelmed with so much choice.
Yet Eguchi’s writing is clear, crisp and poetic. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, nor does it get carried away with excessive detail. Each review is written in a compact style, with an overview of a sake’s style, brewing location, temperature recommendation and food pairings. The tasting notes are highly accessible and can be enjoyed by enthusiasts and beginners alike.
The Japanese Sake Bible is an authoritative take on the wonderfully complex and contradictory beverage that is nihonshu. It distils centuries of history, the hard work of brewers and spirit of sake all into one jam-packed text. More than that, it puts the spotlight on the future of sake and reminds the reader that it’s a hopeful one.
Sake is all of these things and more. Brian Ashcraft’s The Japanese Sake Bible does an exceptional job of capturing all the qualities that make nihonshu one of the most diverse and exciting drinks in the world. Chock full of detail from leading sake brewers and poetic tasting notes, The Japanese Sake Bible is perfect for anyone who wants to worship at the altar of nihonshu.
There are loads of great books about sake out there. John Gaunter’s Sake Confidential and Stephen Lyman’s The Complete Guide To Japanese Drinks comes to mind. But Ashcraft’s book may be the most comprehensive guide on sake to date. It stands out with fascinating anecdotes from different brewers and rare information from all corners of the globe.
A great example is a piece on master cask maker Takeshi Tamura and the process involved with making barrels for taruzake (cask sake). In the modern day, taruzake is an unconventional type of nihonshu. But prior to the 20thcentury, it was common across Japan and the Masamune Brewery are one of the few breweries to produce cask sake in bulk.
Tamura’s story and connection to taruzake is intriguing and the process behind making the barrels is well worth reading about.
Another example is the discovery of the legendary sake water miyamizu by a sake brewer called Tazaemon Yamura VI in 1840. Before this discovery, sake brewers believed water was simply water. But all this changed when Yamamura found that there was a noticeable difference in the sake produced at his brewery in Nishinomiya compared to his brewery in Uozaki.
At first, he swapped out the brewery workers, but found that the Nishinomiya nihonshu was still better. Then he moved onto using the same brewing process and the result was still the same. Finally, Yamamura realised it was the water and transported it from Nishinomiya to Uozaki by oxcart. Nishinomiya no mizu (Nishinomiya water) became miyamizu for short and the rest is history.
It’s these kind of details that make the book pop with character and life. Readers can appreciate the backstories of individual breweries and the people who work in them.
This is shown by the stories of America’s first sake breweries, like the Japan Brewery Company in California, which ran from 1902 to 1906, to longer-lived businesses like the Honolulu sake brewery in Hawaii.
In addition to the wealth of knowledge from Ashcraft, The Japanese Sake Bible features detailed tasting notes from Takashi Eguchi. With over 100 sake recommendations, it could be easy to get overwhelmed with so much choice.
Yet Eguchi’s writing is clear, crisp and poetic. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, nor does it get carried away with excessive detail. Each review is written in a compact style, with an overview of a sake’s style, brewing location, temperature recommendation and food pairings. The tasting notes are highly accessible and can be enjoyed by enthusiasts and beginners alike.
The Japanese Sake Bible is an authoritative take on the wonderfully complex and contradictory beverage that is nihonshu. It distils centuries of history, the hard work of brewers and spirit of sake all into one jam-packed text. More than that, it puts the spotlight on the future of sake and reminds the reader that it’s a hopeful one.
September 20, 2020
There are quite a few good books for sake beginners that introduce concepts like how it's made, the different classifications, and the basic history. There are also very technical books that go into the chemistry and technical details of brewing and flavor.
This might be the only book that is both.
I've yet to encounter such a comprehensive discussion of sake-its history, its brewing, and the figures who have guided them both.
You can start this book from zero knowledge and end up with an admirable understanding of Japan's national drink after finishing. It's a truly well researched, nearly exhaustive look at sake. It's not as technical (or difficult) as Gautier Rousille's Nihonshu, or as intimate as John Gauntner's Sake: The Hidden Stories, but exists as a bridge between them.
The tasting notes at the end offer a look at many of the most important modern brands, but tasting notes are always exercises in subjectivity so don't get too caught up in them.
Overall, this is a stellar addition to the English language sake library.
Jump on it.
This might be the only book that is both.
I've yet to encounter such a comprehensive discussion of sake-its history, its brewing, and the figures who have guided them both.
You can start this book from zero knowledge and end up with an admirable understanding of Japan's national drink after finishing. It's a truly well researched, nearly exhaustive look at sake. It's not as technical (or difficult) as Gautier Rousille's Nihonshu, or as intimate as John Gauntner's Sake: The Hidden Stories, but exists as a bridge between them.
The tasting notes at the end offer a look at many of the most important modern brands, but tasting notes are always exercises in subjectivity so don't get too caught up in them.
Overall, this is a stellar addition to the English language sake library.
Jump on it.
February 24, 2022
A lively introduction to sake. The author is not a sake specialist as Philip Harper or John Gauntner, but a general writer on Japanese culture. He writes the book with journalistic flair, much of his information is based on interviews with brewers and other authorities from the sake world. Those interviews are what make the book so lively and provide its special character - plus the enormous amount of color photos, which makes it almost a wonder that such a beautiful book could be priced at just JPY 1900. The tasting section by Takashi Eguchi is concise and to the point. The book is not perfect - in the history section too much attention is payed to kuchikamizake and doboroku - but it is good enough to earn five stars and a warm recommendation.
July 5, 2020
This is a great book for sake beginners and people interested in Japanese culture, since sake is part of that culture.
Love reading it, liked the images but would have appreciated a few infographics, rather than just words and pictures.
Love the tasting notes, since I haven't had that many different sake yet.
It's a must for anyone who wants to know the past and present of this delightful drink.
Also made a Spanish review, you can read it here:
http://www.pananime.com/lean/resena-t...
Love reading it, liked the images but would have appreciated a few infographics, rather than just words and pictures.
Love the tasting notes, since I haven't had that many different sake yet.
It's a must for anyone who wants to know the past and present of this delightful drink.
Also made a Spanish review, you can read it here:
http://www.pananime.com/lean/resena-t...
April 29, 2020
Lives up to its title: this is THE book to read if you're interested in Japanese sake.
Currently reading
May 22, 2023Starter yeast: Kimoto (1% 17th C mash rice & koji in small tubs of water into creamy puree w/ oars & poles =>deeper >complex flavours) vs Yamahai (9% omits mashing step coz rice easier to polish w/ modern methods =>gamy nuances) vs sokujo-moto (90% quick fermentation starter adds lactic acid to steamed rice & koji instead of propagating naturally =>crisps sakes w/ lower acidity but
Food pairing w/ sake
Daiginjo & Ginjo lighter, fruity & floral =>lighter food, summer dishes
Kimoto & Yamahai good at room temperature or heated =>winter dishes
Bodaimoto high acidity =>🧀
Sparkling sake // 🍾🥂
Nigori cloudy sake =>🌶️spicy dishes
Koshu // sherry aperitif or dessert wine
Mukai Shuzo Ine Mankai paired by Noma w/ roasted wild 🦆
Terada Honke Daiki no Shizuku natural sake =>Noma pairs w/ either Amuse Bouche or dessert
Recommended by:
Adrian Goh: Traditional umami flavours mix w/ elegant ginjo notes. Highly complex & layered.
Joshua Kalinan: Tanaka 1789 x Chartier Vlend 002 Vintage 2018. Bold & fruity aromas & lingering finish. Enjoy w/ hawker food.
Oh Reuben Luke: Tempoichi. Ricier, umami notes yet still balanced. Pair w/ CKT.
* Kokuryu Daijinjo Ryu 1975 pioneer for Ginjo/Daijinjo. Ginjo Icchorai 55% is classic.
* Tomita Shuzu Shichinoyari Junmai Wataribune 77% polishing ratio coz Wataribune has large, starchy core tt’s not clearly defined like Yamada Nishiki rice.
Food pairing w/ sake
Daiginjo & Ginjo lighter, fruity & floral =>lighter food, summer dishes
Kimoto & Yamahai good at room temperature or heated =>winter dishes
Bodaimoto high acidity =>🧀
Sparkling sake // 🍾🥂
Nigori cloudy sake =>🌶️spicy dishes
Koshu // sherry aperitif or dessert wine
Mukai Shuzo Ine Mankai paired by Noma w/ roasted wild 🦆
Terada Honke Daiki no Shizuku natural sake =>Noma pairs w/ either Amuse Bouche or dessert
Recommended by:
Adrian Goh: Traditional umami flavours mix w/ elegant ginjo notes. Highly complex & layered.
Joshua Kalinan: Tanaka 1789 x Chartier Vlend 002 Vintage 2018. Bold & fruity aromas & lingering finish. Enjoy w/ hawker food.
Oh Reuben Luke: Tempoichi. Ricier, umami notes yet still balanced. Pair w/ CKT.
* Kokuryu Daijinjo Ryu 1975 pioneer for Ginjo/Daijinjo. Ginjo Icchorai 55% is classic.
* Tomita Shuzu Shichinoyari Junmai Wataribune 77% polishing ratio coz Wataribune has large, starchy core tt’s not clearly defined like Yamada Nishiki rice.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews