Category: Beverages

Perhaps Two of the World’s Most Popular Distillery Tours: Suntory’s Hakushu & Yamazaki Distilleries

In early 2020 we had reserved a Hakushu Distillery tour. As we remember all too well, that was the year the world changed. In Japan, we entered a state of emergency - people were urged to stay home; restaurants were forced to close early and stop serving alcohol; traveling across borders was discouraged; and many … Continue reading Perhaps Two of the World’s Most Popular Distillery Tours: Suntory’s Hakushu & Yamazaki Distilleries →

Mikan Wine: A Summer Thing

At this time of year—summer’s epicenter, so to speak—most people prefer to keep thing’s light and uncomplicated, opting for such intellectually unchallenging fare as Sharktopus (2010)—no, it’s not about a certain American financial-services company, though it could be—or chilling out with musical mundanities like Percy Faith’s rendition of “A Summer Place.” Personally, this writer prefers … Continue reading Mikan Wine: A Summer Thing →

Of Cranes, Swans, and Fortuna

This is the fifth installment in our JFEX2022 series. This week we feature a product from Izumi Syuzou Co., Ltd. (出水酒造株式会社］　— Fortuna shochu. THE WILD SWANS AT COOLE … Unwearied still, lover by lover, They paddle in the cold, Companionable streams or climb the air; Their hearts have not grown old; Passion or conquest, wander … Continue reading Of Cranes, Swans, and Fortuna →

Oishi Shuzo Distillery’s (大石酒造) Kashi (樫): Small Is Beautiful and Wood Is Wonderful

This is the fourth installment in our JFEX2022 series. This week we feature a shochu from a distillery in Akune City, Kagoshima—Oishi Shuzo Distillery (大石酒造). Some of our readers may be familiar with The New York Times bestseller Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered1; others may have delved into The Breakdown of Nations2 … Continue reading Oishi Shuzo Distillery’s (大石酒造) Kashi (樫): Small Is Beautiful and Wood Is Wonderful →

Kagatsuru Kaga Tea Sake (加賀鶴: 加賀紅茶の酒): Terrific

This is the third installment in our JFEX2022 series. This week we feature a product from Yachiya Shuzo, an award-winning kura in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. We will confine our comments to only one of their outstanding products—their unique Tea Sake. We encourage our readers to explore their other offerings, as well. Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!How … Continue reading Kagatsuru Kaga Tea Sake (加賀鶴: 加賀紅茶の酒): Terrific →

Lovevados Apple Brandy: Yes, We Would Love a Dose!

This is the second installment in our JFEX2022 series. The exhibition was held at Tokyo Big Sight in June. The event featured 452 exhibitors and attracted 18,848 industry buyers. This week we focus on an apple brandy called “Lovevados.” The Japanese are rather fond of portmanteau words (e.g., spoon + fork = spork). Lovevados has … Continue reading Lovevados Apple Brandy: Yes, We Would Love a Dose! →