Sake Confidential: A Beyond-the-Basics Guide to Understanding, Tasting, Selection, and Enjoyment - Softcover

Gauntner, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1611720141 ISBN 13: 9781611720143

Publisher: Stone Bridge Press, 2014

Synopsis

With today’s sake drinkers increasingly informed and adventurous, now is the time for a truly expert guide to take you deeper into appreciation of this complex but delightful Japanese beverage, brewed from rice and enjoyed both warm or chilled.

And what better mentor than John Gauntner, the Sake Guy” and the world’s leading non-Japanese sake educator and evangelist? Here in over two dozen no-holds-barred essays, John reveals the truth about sake” from a connected insider’s perspective. No other book or website presents such a knowledgeable, practical, and concise yet complete guide to sake idiosyncrasies, misperceptions, and controversies.

Sake Confidential is the perfect FAQ for beginners, experts, and sommeliers. Indexed for easy reference with suggested brands and label photos. Includes:

• Sake Secrets: junmai vs. non-junmai, namazake, aging, dry vs. sweet, ginjo, warm vs. chilled, nigori, water, yeast, rice, regionality
• How the Industry Really Works: pricing, contests, distribution, glassware, milling, food pairing
• The Brewer’s Art Revealed: koji-making, brewers’ guilds, grading

John Gauntner John Gauntner is the only non-Japanese certified Master of Sake Tasting. A resident of Japan since 1988, he has worked in the sake industry promoting and educating since 1994. Each year he conducts Sake Professional Courses for sake professionals and aficionados, and several of his students have gone on to open thriving sake shops, breweries, and izakaya in the United States.

About this title

About the Author

John Gauntner is recognized as the world's leading non-Japanese sake expert and educator. He has lived in Japan since 1988, and has worked in the sake industry promoting and educating since 1994. He has written seven books, including two ebooks, across two languages and hundreds of articles on the topic, and is known for his for his uniquely concise and passionate way of conveying all aspects of sake, sake enjoyment, sake culture, sake history, and brewing technology. John also conducts several Sake Professional Courses each year for sake professionals and aficionados.

Known as "The Sake Guy," John is the only non-Japanese certified Master of Sake Tasting in the world, and has also achieved the very difficult Sake Expert Assessor certification from Japan's National Research Institute of Brewing. No other non-Japanese in the world has both of these certifications. He also received the Sake Samurai award in 2006, the first year it was awarded

John has been quoted and/or mentioned in sake related articles in countless publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, Forbes, Business Week, and Rolling Stone. He has spoken at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Universities, Wharton School of Business, and countless other venues across the US and Japan.

Much of each winter he is traveling around Japan, visiting breweries regularly and constantly learning. Other efforts at educating and edifying about sake include a free monthly sake newsletter (www.sake-world.com) and various digital products and e-books.

John is also author of Sake's Hidden Stories and The Sake Notebook, both self-published ebooks, and coauthor of Sake Pure and Simple (Stone Bridge Press, 978-1880656372, now OP).

Review

"A superb, easy-to-swallow overview of this fascinating, complex and subtle beverage, offered with pith and clarity." The New York Times

"This book is not just for sake lovers; it’s a must read for anyone interested in Japanese culture." The Japan Times

"Written in a style that Gauntner's readers have come to know and enjoy: conversational, straightforward, earnest, unpretentious, and passionate." The Sake Press

"Sake Confidential is essential reading for anyone curious or passionate about Japan’s national spirit." Metropolis

"It fills a needed niche for a Sake book that goes beyond the basics, but still is approachable by even the casual reader or newbie to Sake." The Passionate Foodie

"It's an easy book to flip through to find something of interest at your level of knowledge." The Gray Report


"A superb, easy-to-swallow overview of this fascinating, complex and subtle beverage, offered with pith and clarity."―The New York Times

"This book is not just for sake lovers; it’s a must read for anyone interested in Japanese culture."― The Japan Times

"Written in a style that Gauntner's readers have come to know and enjoy: conversational, straightforward, earnest, unpretentious, and passionate."―The Sake Press

"Sake Confidential is essential reading for anyone curious or passionate about Japan’s national spirit."―Metropolis

"It fills a needed niche for a Sake book that goes beyond the basics, but still is approachable by even the casual reader or newbie to Sake."―The Passionate Foodie

"It's an easy book to flip through to find something of interest at your level of knowledge."―The Gray Report

Edition details

• Publisher: Stone Bridge Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1611720141
• ISBN 13: 9781611720143
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 184