The Japanese Sake Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Great Sake (With Tasting Notes and Scores for Over 100 Top Brands)

Description

The Japanese Sake Bible is the ultimate book about Japan's national drink - from its history and culture to its ingredients and production methods, how to choose the best sake, and recommended food pairings. Author Brian Ashcraft traveled the length and breadth of Japan to conduct dozens of interviews with master brewers and sake experts. His fascinating stories about how sake is made are accompanied by over 300 full-colour photographs, maps and drawings. Unlike other books on sake, this one includes reviews, tasting notes and scores for over 100 leading sake brands, written by respected Japanese sake expert Takashi Eguchi. Information on the brewers is provided and the sakes are grouped by flavour profile. Japanese sake is spreading around the world today and winning over converts because it pairs so well with good food (and not just Japanese food!). This book will help you to be knowledgeable about selecting, serving and enjoying Japan's favourite drink. 'This book takes an extensive look at Japan's national beverage. Ideal for both the beginner and the more seasoned drinker, it includes tasting notes provided by sake sommelier Eguchi, as well as recommended food pairings. In his introduction, Ashcraft declares this a 'wonderful time to be a sake drinker,' because people all over the world are becoming more interested in the drink than ever before. After covering the basics (types of sake, how sake is made, and the drink's five essential ingredients), Ashcraft guides readers in how to order and enjoy sake. The book concludes with a more in-depth glimpse at the history of sake brewing and the drink's booming international popularity.' - Booklist 'Ashcraft, also the author of the Japanese Whisky guide, has put together lively commentaries based on dozens of interviews with master brewers and sake experts across Japan. Another key feature: reviews and tasting notes for more than 100 leading sake brands by respected Japanese sake expert Takashi Eguchi. The book is rounded out by more than 300 full-colour illustrations, photos and maps.' - Liquor.com '...a deep dive into the nation's ubiquitous drink. [...] While there are extensive chapters on tasting notes, food pairings and in-depth explorations of the roles played by rice, water and soil, the heart of the narrative is the human side of sake production.' - The Japan Times

Brian Ashcraft is a former senior writer for the video gaming site Kotaku and columnist for The Japan Times. He was previously a contributing editor at Wired magazine. His work has appeared in Popular Science, the Guardian, the design journal Metropolis, and many other publications. He is the author of Japanese Whisky as well as many books on Japanese culture, including Japanese Tattoos and Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential. Originally from Texas, he called Osaka home since 2001, until returning to Dallas in 2022. Takashi Eguchi is based in Kyoto, where he curates the popular Japanese-language Sake Concierge Report website (sakeconcierge.com) in which he covers sake events across Japan, interviews brewing luminaries and contributes tasting notes. He regularly gives sake workshops and, as of 2019, has held over one hundred sake-related seminars. He holds a Sake Diploma from the Japan Sommeliers Association and lectures on sake tourism at Kyoto's Doshisha University. World-renowned musician and DJ Richie Hawtin became a sake connoisseur after he first visited Japan in 1994. He has earned the Advanced Sake Professional Certification and was made a Sake Samurai by the Japanese Sake Brewers Association in 2014 for his efforts in promoting sake internationally. He continues to use his global influence to open up young audiences to new cultural experiences via music, concerts and sake initiatives.

"This book is jam-packed with information and knowledge about the drink's past and present. Without a doubt, it's the result of in-depth research, interviews, and sake tastings." --Shuso Imada, Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association "Brian Ashcraft has written the thorough, authoritative, yet highly accessible book about sake the English-speaking world has been waiting for." --Michael Booth, author of Super Sushi Ramen Express "...it would be misleading to call this title a mere guide, for it is not just about knowing your honjuzo from your daiginjo...Rather the author's approach here is reflected in an apt quotation from a former Japanese PM: 'sake does not just reflect Japanese culture; it is Japanese culture.' Interviews with the likes of a veteran master toji brewer of 70 years and the pioneers of premium ginjo sake make for a truly enjoyable read and offer valuable context." --Kyoto Journal