Exploring the craftsmanship of sake: Virtual trip to a Japanese Sake Brewery

Toast the New Year with Japan House London, the cultural home of Japan in London, as they team up with the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association in a series of live online webinars exploring the drinks of Japan.

The series begins with an introduction to Japan’s most famous alcoholic drink, sake, or, as it is known in Japan, nihonshu (sake being the general Japanese word for alcoholic drinks).

After receiving a firm grounding on the fundamentals of nihonshu with a talk by Sake Samurai’s Yoshitake Rie, attendees are taken on a virtual trip to the Shirataki Sake Brewery in Japan’s northern Niigata Prefecture to learn how the beverage is made.

Certified sake educator Christopher Hughes leads the tour, joining the Chief Brewer in conversation to discuss the brewery facilities and the complex and intricate craftsmanship of sake making.

There will be an opportunity for guests to ask questions to the speakers during this live online event.

Guests can continue to expand their Japanese alcoholic drinks knowledge with future events in this series including an online guided tour of a shochu distillery in Japan (Wednesday 27 January, 11:00-12:00 GMT) and fun demonstrations on how to enjoy sake and shochu at home with a mixology masterclass and suggestions for inventive food pairings (Wednesday 3 February, 11:00-12:00 GMT).