A sake podcast for the beyond beginner!
Sake brewer Andrew Russell and sake writer/translator Jim Rion dive deep into the history and culture around Japan's national drink to bring context and insight, for when an introduction just won't cut it.
Join us every month for a tokkuri full of unfiltered sake knowledge!
Our theme song is from:
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-n...
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
Ginjo sake brewing is familiar enough, but what about those folks out on the Sanin coast? Some claim they’re doing it a little differently, but Jim and Andy aren’t so sure. Is it the koji? The yeast? The climate? Come and let’s see what’s going on in the shadows.
Kampai!
Vocab:
Ajigin 味吟 - A flavor-focused ginjo sake.
Chūgoku 中国 - A region of western Japan including Hiroshima, Okayama, Tottori, Shimane, and Yamaguchi prefectures.
Hanagin はな吟 - An aroma-focused ginjo sake.
San’in 山陰 - The part of the Chugoku region that stands to the north/west of the Chugoku Mountains along the Sea of Japan coast. Mostly associated with Tottori and Shimane Prefectures.
Sanyō 山陽 - The coastal area of the CHugoku Region along the Sea of Japan, south/east of the Chugoku mountains.
Sōhaze 総はぜ - A koji growth pattern with the filaments covering the whole surface of the rice grains.
Tsukihaze 突きはぜ - A koji growth pattern with filaments speckling the surface, with filaments sticking deep inside the rice grain.
Recommendations:
Andy - Tenon Mukkyu Sake (https://www.tenon.jp/sake_list/sake-list2/1221)
Jim - Chiyomusubi Goriki 60 Junmai Ginjo (https://www.chiyomusubi.co.jp/products/detail/363)
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive (https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive)
Also, check out Andy’s websites at: https://www.originsake.com/ (https://www.originsaketours.com/) and https://www.originsaketours.com (https://www.originsaketours.com)
Find Jim at his website www.JimRion.com (http://www.jimrion.com), where he doesn’t talk about sake at all.
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
1 Aug 2026
Dankake - Building a Sake Mash
Three steps? Four steps? More?! Building a stable sake mash can be a tricky business, and here Andy and Jim dig deep into a tried and true way of making sure your fermentation is a strong one. From history to stages, variations to value, they give dankake the good ol’ Sake Deep Dive Treatment.
Kampai!
Vocab:
Dankake 段掛け or Danjikomi 段仕込み - Staged mashing. A standard feature of multiple-parallel fermentation sake brewing, in which rice and koji are added in batches to allow for more stable growth of the yeast.
Eda oke 枝桶 - a technique where the smaller Hatsuzoe batch of rice and koji is mixed with the starter in a smaller tank, allowing for more controlled yeast propagation during the vulnerable early stages.
Goshu no Nikki 御酒之日記 - A record/journal that is considered the first technical brewing guide in Japan, kept by members of the Satake clan. Its date is contested but it is mostly considered to date to 1489, though some believe it was written in 1355. It mentions sandanjikomi, important to this discussion.
Hatsuzoe 初添え - The first stage of a mash or shikomi, when steamed rice and koji are added to the moto starter.
Ittonjikomi 一トン仕込み - A one-tonne (of rice) mash for sake brewing. Often considered a kind of standard measure for small to medium sake breweries.
Nakazoe 仲添え - The second addition of rice and koji to the fermentation mash.
Odori 踊り - A stage of rest between hatsuzoe and nakazoe.
Sandanjikomi 三段仕込み - A three-stage mash/
Tamonin Nikki 多聞院日記- A journal/record kept at Tamoin temple from 1478 to 1618. It mentions several topics of interest to sake brewing, including a reference to dankake in connection to Bodaisen sake brewing.
Togaimai 等外米 - Rice that has not been graded for the official classification system, meaning it cannot be used for tokuteimeishu brewing.
Tomezoe 留添え - The final stage of a dankake, when fermentation is encouraged to stop.
Yodanjikomi 四段仕込み - A four-stage mash, when an additional stage is added for either necessity as in aruten alcohol addition, or for a different expression of the sake.
Recommendations:
Andy - Hanatomoe Yodan Muroka Nama (https://www.hanatomoe.com/yodan-nama/)
Jim - Yachiyo Bd-14 (https://ec.yachiyo-sake.com/items/56497046)
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive (https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive)
Also, check out Andy’s websites at: https://www.originsake.com/ (https://www.originsaketours.com/) and https://www.originsaketours.com (https://www.originsaketours.com)
Find Jim at his website www.JimRion.com (http://www.jimrion.com), where he mostly doesn’t talk about sake at all.
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
31 May 2026
Koshi no Kanbai - Snow Country Sake
Jim and Andy journey back to the snow country of Niigata to focus on a brewery that has helped shape modern sake tastes: Ishimoto Shuzo, makers of Koshi no Kanbai. From its humble origins as a small producer for the local market to the flagbearers of the jizake and tanrei karakuchi sake booms, your intrepid enthusiasts dig deep into how this sake became a nationwide staple. Settle in and warm up your sake because it’s time for some Niigata nectar. Kampai!
Vocab:
Ajigin 味吟 - Sake brewed to ginjō specifications and methods but with an emphasis on flavor rather than aroma.
Hanagin ハナ吟 - Sake brewed to ginjō specifications and methods with an emphasis on aroma rather than flavor.
Hashirajōchu 柱焼酎 - Shōchu distilled from refermented sake lees or even seishu used in the brewing process instead of high-purity brewer’s alcohol. A traditional aruten method dating back to the Edo Period.
Recommendations:
Andy - Tokujoshu Kimoto-kei Hashirajochu Shikomi (https://koshinokanbai.co.jp/products/kimotokeishubo_tokujoshu)
Jim - Futsushu White Label (https://koshinokanbai.co.jp/products/whitelabel)
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive (https://www.patreon.com/SakeDeepDive)
Also, check out Andy’s websites at: https://www.originsake.com/ (https://www.originsaketours.com/) and https://www.originsaketours.com (https://www.originsaketours.com)
Find Jim at his website www.JimRion.com (http://www.jimrion.com), where he mostly doesn’t talk about sake at all.
Our theme music is from
Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions
Under a Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
18 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
27 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
37
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
82
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