EDITORIAL
Alcohol is a cure for all ailments.
TRADITIONAL JAPANESE PROVERB
SUMMER SAKE
IN FULL SWING
After a brief hiatus, we are back! The Museum of Sake and our collaborators have been
exceptionally busy over the last few months. In the run up to March, we organised the
Hox Cup Sake Bar at the Hoxton Shoreditch in London, introducing a wide variety of
people to cup sake for the first time. This was a very special event for me - people in the
industry had always thought that London was not ready for a sake bar. But the numbers
of people who visited, and their sheer enthusiasm and willingness to try sake for the first
time and learn more about it was truly heartwarming. The contingent of sake enthusiasts
who visited was also great! It appears that the culture of sake perception and consumption
is shifting in the UK, and in increasingly positive ways.
In this issue we discuss sake education from a wide variety of perspectives - from DJ Richie
Hawtin’s ENTER.Sake events and John Gaunter’s writing to Antony Moss at the Wine
and Spirit Education Trust, who have recently introduced the Level 1 Award in sake. Anna
Greenhous also brings her solid findings on the developments in American sake brewing.
It was a particular honour for me to interview Richie since I have been listening to his
techno music since my high school days!
Whist the summer in London may be unreliable and the summer in Japan humid and
stifling, we can all enjoy some refreshing natsuzake - or refreshing sake specially intended
by sake brewers for summer drinking. Apart from sparkling sake, why not cool down with
a light fresh ginjo at your garden barbecue? Michael Ou sheds some light on ginjo-ka,
the elusive fruity and floral aromas found in ginjo sake, so you can learn as you imbibe.
Whatever the weather, I hope you all manage to enjoy some lovely summertime sake. Kampai!
NATSUKI KIKUYA
DIRECTOR & CURATOR, MUSEUM OF SAKE
MUSEUM OF SAKE JOURNAL 3