A new kind of sake book, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake is available now wherever books are sold!
Discovering Yamaguchi Sake
A Taster’s Guide to Breweries, Culture, and Terrain
By Jim Rion
Foreword by Melinda Joe
Stone Bridge Press
Quality Books About Asia & the World Since 1989
Distributed by Consortium, Baker & Taylor, Ingram and other major wholesalers
www.stonebridge.com
Order now!
United States:
Bookshop.com – Support independent booksellers!
Japan:
The first of its kind, Discovering Yamaguchi Sake is a deep-dive into a single sake-producing region to highlight its delicious brews as well as the people, land, and culture behind them. Expert Jim Rion takes us on a tour of all 23 Yamaguchi breweries to introduce the character of each and its brew masters’ best picks. Along the way he provides background on such topics as rice farmers, drinkware, brewing methods, and the controversy over sake “terroir” (does it exist?). An added bonus for travelers is a mini sightseeing guide to the region and its many delights. Illustrated with photographs and quick-reference sake labels.
PRAISE
“Jim Rion offers a deep and intimate look at Yamaguchi’s wonderful sake tradition. The result isn’t only an illuminating look at the people who make the drink, but also a fascinating examination on how the region and its culture influence it. Let’s drink to that. Kanpai!”
—Brian Ashcraft, author of The Japanese Saké Bible and Japanese Whisky
About the Author
Jim Rion is a licensed international kikizakeshi (sake sommelier), certified sake professional, and freelance translator and writer working in the sake industry since 2018. He has lived in Yamaguchi Prefecture since 2004. He took his first sake brewery tour in 2008, and with it discovered a whole new world to explore.
Melinda Joe is an American journalist based in Tokyo, Japan. Her food writing has appeared in publications such as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Departures Magazine and has been translated into four languages. She writes about Japanese drinks in her column for The Japan Times, “Kanpai Culture.” A certified sake and wine specialist, she is a panel chair for the sake division at London’s International Wine Challenge.
Jim Rion - Translator & Writer 