R i s e of a Sa k e Sam u r ai b y Michael Tremblay
Michael Tremblay travels from Toronto’s Financial District to be recognized for contributions to sake at a 1,300-year-old shrine in Japan.
I
was first introduced to sake in 2007 when I began working at Ki Modern Japanese + Bar, a restaurant in Toronto’s bustling Financial District.
me to Japan more than a dozen times. On my first visit, I spent a week in Tokyo attending the Advanced Sake Professional course held by the Sake Education Council. Despite the jet lag, I was mesmerized by the frenetic energy that pulsated throughout the city and the distinct food culture that was woven into Tokyo’s fabric. I explored eye-opening sake bars, fish markets and hole-in-the-wall izakaya (Japanese-style pubs). I tasted flavours that were new to my palate and many new sake brands that all had their own personality. Tokyo is one of those places, I quickly realized, where you could wander its streets forever and constantly discover new restaurants and bars that will be permanently ingrained into your psyche.
Back then I didn’t know anything about sake— actually called nihonshu in Japan—and I quickly became fascinated with this unique ricebrewed beverage. I started absorbing all of the information I could find on the regions where sake was brewed, the history and culture that birthed it, and the unique stories behind each brand we carried at the restaurant. I put maps of Japan on our sake fridges so I could picture where exactly in the country each bottle was from. Before presenting a guest with their sake of choice, I honed a story that would enthrall, excite and leave them wanting more. I became a storyteller, and I realized how interested people were to learn more about this ancient drink.
Since that first trip to Tokyo, I’ve had many phenomenal experiences all over Japan. I’ve visited or worked at sake breweries in many of Japan’s 47 prefectures. I’ve judged sake for the International Wine Challenge in Kobe and Yamagata. My fond memories of Japan have been important to my growth as a sake expert, in no small part because they provide me with
Little did I know back then that this would be the beginning of a sake journey that would take
20
