Articles
Guides, tasting notes, brewery profiles, and insights from the world of sake, whisky, and Japanese drink culture.
Summer Sake Guide — Sparkling, Low-ABV, and What to Chill
Summer sake sparkling and low-alcohol styles offer refreshing alternatives to heavy winter brews. Here's what to drink, how to serve it, and where to find these cooling Japanese sake varieties.
How Humidity Kills Your Sake Collection (and How to Prevent It)
Humidity above 70% can destroy sake quality in weeks through label deterioration, cork failure, and accelerated oxidation. Here's how to protect your collection.
10 Non-Japanese Dishes That Pair Perfectly with Sake
Sake pairs beautifully with far more than sushi and sashimi. From Italian pasta to French cheese, these 10 non-Japanese dishes unlock sake's true versatility.
US Tariff on Japanese Sake 2025 — What It Actually Costs an Importer Per Bottle
The April 2025 shift from volume-based to value-based US tariffs fundamentally changes the economics of importing Japanese sake. A 10% ad valorem tariff on a premium bottle compounds through the markup chain to add $3-5 at retail — and a potential 24% rate would push that to $7-12. Here is the per-bottle math, the markup mechanics, and three diversification plays importers should evaluate this month.
米国関税で日本酒はボトルあたりいくら上がるか — 蔵元が今すぐ検討すべき3つの分散シナリオ
2025年4月の米国関税改定は、日本酒の輸入コスト構造を根本的に変えた。従量税から従価税への転換により、プレミアム酒ほど絶対額の負担が大きくなる。蔵元が今月中に検討すべきFOB再交渉、24%シナリオ対応、そしてEU・韓国・東南アジアへの市場分散について、ボトルあたりの計算とともに整理する。
Spring Sake 2026 — What Shiboritate, Haru-Sake, and Nama Releases Mean for Overseas Buyers
Spring (February through April) is Japan's most exciting sake release window — shiboritate, arabashiri, haru-sake, and nama releases flood the domestic market. For overseas importers, these are the most differentiated products available and the hardest to ship. Here is what each term means, the cold-chain math, and a framework for deciding whether spring releases belong in your portfolio.
Singapore Pours Tatenokawa, NYC Pours Dassai: Two Cities, Two Completely Different Japanese Sake Strategies in 2026
A Japanese brewery that thinks of 'overseas market entry' as a single decision is going to fail in at least one city. In 2025–2026, New York City and Singapore are two completely different Japanese sake markets, with different winning brands, different consumption formats, and different cultural drivers. Dassai dominates NYC to the point of building its own $80M brewery in Hyde Park. In Singapore, the most visible sake brand presence in 2025 was Tatenokawa's custom partnership at a single 10-seat omakase counter. Same category, two different games.
Sake Export Playbook: How to Enter the Singapore Market in 2026
For Japanese breweries and trading companies considering Singapore as an overseas market, the public-source reality is more structured — and more surmountable — than most first-time exporters expect. This playbook covers the regulatory framework (SFA + Singapore Customs), the excise duty math, the three viable entry routes, the distributor landscape, and what public sources cannot tell you.
刺身に合わせる究極の一杯
刺身に合う日本酒は、一種類ではない。白身魚、赤身魚、光もの — 魚ごとに最適な一杯は変わる。唎酒師が教える、失敗しないペアリングの法則。
Sake Export Markets Compared — Singapore vs Hong Kong vs the US (2026)
Hong Kong charges zero duty on sake but its market is shrinking. The US buys the most sake in the world but stacked tariffs in 2026. Singapore taxes by the litre of alcohol and rewards premium positioning. A side-by-side comparison for export managers.
Sake Cold Chain Shipping Economics — When Reefer Containers Pay Off
Refrigerated container shipping adds $2-4 per bottle to sake import costs, but the economics flip positive for nama-zake and premium grades above $40 retail.
The Only Sake Classification Chart You Need (Beginner's Guide)
Master sake classification with our visual chart covering junmai, honjozo, ginjo, and daiginjo grades — plus what each actually means for taste and price.
Spring Sake Guide — Shiboritate, Haru-Sake, and What to Drink Now
Spring brings Japan's freshest sake releases — shiboritate and limited haru-sake that capture the season's delicate flavors and floral notes.
Sake Rice Prices Up 30-130% — What Importers Need to Know About Shelf Price Impact
Japan's worst rice harvest in decades pushes sake rice prices up 30-130%. We break down exactly how this translates to your landed costs and retail pricing.
The Sake Aisle Problem: Why Choosing a Bottle Shouldn't Feel Like Guesswork
You're standing in front of 40 bottles of sake, and unless you already know the breweries and the terminology, you're guessing. Here's why we built ScaNavi — and how each scan helps drinkers, stores, and breweries.
Koshu: Japan's Signature White Wine — A Reference for Overseas Collectors
Koshu is Japan's signature indigenous white wine grape, officially recognized by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine in 2010. This reference guide explains its history, flavor, leading producers, and why it has become of quiet interest to private bank clients across Southeast Asia.
Japanese Alcohol Exports to Southeast Asia, 2020–2025: A Data Report
Japanese sake exports hit a record ¥45.9 billion in 2025, shipping to 81 countries. But the headline figure hides a more nuanced story for importers in Southeast Asia. This data report compiles the official numbers from Japan's National Tax Agency, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, and the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics — and explains what they say (and what they don't) about the region's premium Japanese alcohol market.
純米吟醸と純米大吟醸、その違いを徹底解説
「純米吟醸」と「純米大吟醸」の違いは、精米歩合ひとつ。その数パーセントが、日本酒の香り・味わいをどう変えるのか。知っておきたい基礎知識を解説する。
How to Read a Japanese Sake Label in 60 Seconds
Master the essential Japanese sake label terminology and classification system that determines quality, flavor, and price in under a minute.
獺祭が世界を変えた理由
山口県岩国市の小さな酒蔵「旭酒造」が、いかにして世界の頂点に立つ日本酒ブランドへと成長したのか。桜井一宏社長に、獺祭革命の舞台裏を聞く。