Ep 09: How to Drink Sake Like a Pro (Interview with Oliver Hilton-Johnson from Tengu Sake)
12/02/20 • 45 min
Oliver Hilton-Johnson is a Sake Specialist and Director of Tengu Sake, a sake imports, wholesale & retail company. Tengu Sake supplies quality Japanese sake and spirits to some of the UK’s finest restaurants and bars and is the recipient of the International Wine Challenge’s ‘Sake Merchant of the Year’ award 2016 - 2019. In November 2019 Oliver was named as one of the ‘Future 50’ drinks industry professionals to watch. Oliver has got a fascinating story about how he went from hating sake to falling in love with it and setting up one of the best and innovative sake importers in the UK.
I know Oliver from the Kikisakeshi Sake Specialist Course I took a few years ago where Satomi, whom I interviewed last time, and he were teaching us the art of sake. But you might have met him at one of many sake events in London before the current pandemic. So Oliver is a great guy and in the interview, he is talking about a lot very interesting stuff: how to drink sake, how to choose it and also provides very good sake tips.
Don't forget, Sugidama Podcast now has a sponsor, London Sake, an excellent online sake store. London Sake has one of the widest selections of premium and craft sake available online today. They deliver across the UK and Europe, and with over 100 sake from 25 breweries, there really is something for everyone.
Using simple online tasting notes and sensible, affordable food pairings they help you find the perfect sake without any of the fuss. Listeners of the podcast can get a 10% discount Listen to the episode to get the magical code! London Sake: making sake simple.
Episode's Content:
- Oliver's sake story
- Sip or shot?
- Hot or cold?
- What food is great with sake?
- How to deal with the complex sake terminology
- How to buy sake with confidence
- How to store sake properly
- Sake tips
- Sake of the episode: Tatenokawa Phoenix Junmai Daiginjo
Kampai!
Sake mentioned:
Tatenokawa Phoenix Junmai Daiginjo
Tatenokawa Sake Brewery
Tengu Sake
Tengu Sake Main Website
Music used:
Wirklich Wichtig (CB 27) by Checkie Brown https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Checkie_Brown_1005/hey/Wirklich_Wichtig_CB_27
Just Arround the World (Kielokaz ID 362) by KieLoKaz
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/KieLoKaz/Free_Ganymed/Just_Arround_the_World_Kielokaz_ID_362
Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Vocal: Svetlana
Oliver Hilton-Johnson is a Sake Specialist and Director of Tengu Sake, a sake imports, wholesale & retail company. Tengu Sake supplies quality Japanese sake and spirits to some of the UK’s finest restaurants and bars and is the recipient of the International Wine Challenge’s ‘Sake Merchant of the Year’ award 2016 - 2019. In November 2019 Oliver was named as one of the ‘Future 50’ drinks industry professionals to watch. Oliver has got a fascinating story about how he went from hating sake to falling in love with it and setting up one of the best and innovative sake importers in the UK.
I know Oliver from the Kikisakeshi Sake Specialist Course I took a few years ago where Satomi, whom I interviewed last time, and he were teaching us the art of sake. But you might have met him at one of many sake events in London before the current pandemic. So Oliver is a great guy and in the interview, he is talking about a lot very interesting stuff: how to drink sake, how to choose it and also provides very good sake tips.
Don't forget, Sugidama Podcast now has a sponsor, London Sake, an excellent online sake store. London Sake has one of the widest selections of premium and craft sake available online today. They deliver across the UK and Europe, and with over 100 sake from 25 breweries, there really is something for everyone.
Using simple online tasting notes and sensible, affordable food pairings they help you find the perfect sake without any of the fuss. Listeners of the podcast can get a 10% discount Listen to the episode to get the magical code! London Sake: making sake simple.
Episode's Content:
- Oliver's sake story
- Sip or shot?
- Hot or cold?
- What food is great with sake?
- How to deal with the complex sake terminology
- How to buy sake with confidence
- How to store sake properly
- Sake tips
- Sake of the episode: Tatenokawa Phoenix Junmai Daiginjo
Kampai!
Sake mentioned:
Tatenokawa Phoenix Junmai Daiginjo
Tatenokawa Sake Brewery
Tengu Sake
Tengu Sake Main Website
Music used:
Wirklich Wichtig (CB 27) by Checkie Brown https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Checkie_Brown_1005/hey/Wirklich_Wichtig_CB_27
Just Arround the World (Kielokaz ID 362) by KieLoKaz
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/KieLoKaz/Free_Ganymed/Just_Arround_the_World_Kielokaz_ID_362
Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Vocal: Svetlana
Previous Episode
Ep 08: It’s a Kind of Magic: How Sake is Made Part 2
The second part of the exciting two-parter about how sake is made. I never stop admiring the skill and craftmanship of sake brewers. They manage to create a beautiful drink from rice and water. In this episode we continue exploring the sake brewing process learning about sandan jikomi, multiple parallel fermentation, pressing and post-production.
Don't forget, Sugidama Podcast now has a sponsor, London Sake, an excellent online sake store. London Sake has one of the widest selections of premium and craft sake available online today. They deliver across the UK and Europe, and with over 100 sake from 25 breweries, there really is something for everyone.
Using simple online tasting notes and sensible, affordable food pairings they help you find the perfect sake without any of the fuss. Listeners of the podcast can get a 10% discount Listen to the episode to get the magical code! London Sake: making sake simple.
Episode's Content:
- Recap from the previous episode
- Sandan Jikomi
- Multiple Parallel Fermentation
- Why open tanks?
- Sake pressing
- Preparing sake for bottling (post-production)
- Sake of the episode: London Kanpai Taru Barrel-Aged Junmai
Kampai!
Sake mentioned:
Kanpai Taru Barrel-Aged Junmai
Kanpai London
London Sake
Episode Dictionary
Moto/Shubo (酛/酒母) - yeast starter
Sandan Jikomi (三段仕込) - a three-stage mixing process of sake fermentation mash
Moromi (醪) - sake fermentation mash
Hatsuzoe/soe (初添/添) - Day 1 of Sandan Jikomi
Odori (踊り) - Day 2 of Sandan Jikomi (resting day)
Nakazoe/naka (仲添/仲) - Day 3 of Sandan Jikomi
Tomezoe/Tome (留添/留) - Day 4 of Sandan Jikomi
Fune (槽) - sake press
Arabashiri (荒走り) - rough run
Nakadori/Nakagumi (中取り/中汲み) - mid run in sake pressing
Seme (責め) - the final run in sake pressing
Fukuro-tsuri (袋吊り) - hanging cotton bags
Shizuku-zake (雫酒) - drip sake
Tobingakoi (斗瓶囲い) - a special 18-litre sake bottle
Sake kasu (酒粕) - sake lees, a by-product of sake pressing
Oribiki (おり) - rice sediment
Roka ( ろ過) - filtering
Chozo (貯蔵) - sake maturation
Chougu (調合) - blending
Warimizu - (割水) - diluting sake with waterMusic used:
Wirklich Wichtig (CB 27) by Checkie Brown https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Checkie_Brown_1005/hey/Wirklich_Wichtig_CB_27
Just Arround the World (Kielokaz ID 362) by KieLoKaz
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/KieLoKaz/Free_Ganymed/Just_Arround_the_World_Kielokaz_ID_362
Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Vocal: Svetlana
Next Episode
Ep 10: How to Open a Sake Bar in London and Survive a Lockdown (Interview with Erika Haigh from Moto London)
Erika a sake and wine specialist and director of Moto London, a sake bar which opened in London Covent Garden just about a year ago. She is an amazing person and whom I have known for some time through my blog, Instagram and personally.
The story of Moto is really fascinating. You can imagine what it means to open a bar and not just a bar but a sake bar three months before the UK went into a complete lockdown for more than 2 months and then again in November. But let’s listen to her story.
Don't forget, Sugidama Podcast now has a sponsor, London Sake, an excellent online sake store. London Sake has one of the widest selections of premium and craft sake available online today. They deliver across the UK and Europe, and with over 100 sake from 25 breweries, there really is something for everyone.
Using simple online tasting notes and sensible, affordable food pairings they help you find the perfect sake without any of the fuss. Listeners of the podcast can get a 10% discount Listen to the episode to get the magical code! London Sake: making sake simple.
Episode's Content:
- Erika's sake story
- Sake and Wine
- Birth of Moto London: Concept, Name, Location
- Highlights and plans
- Moto's customers
- Importing sake
- A Woman in the Sake World
- Sake tips
- Sake of the episode: Jokigen Junmai Daiginjo Dewasansan 40
Kampai!
Sake mentioned:
Jokigen Junmai Daiginjo Dewasansan 40
Moto London
Moto London Main Website
Music used:
Wirklich Wichtig (CB 27) by Checkie Brown https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Checkie_Brown_1005/hey/Wirklich_Wichtig_CB_27
Just Arround the World (Kielokaz ID 362) by KieLoKaz
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/KieLoKaz/Free_Ganymed/Just_Arround_the_World_Kielokaz_ID_362
Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Vocal: Svetlana
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