Rise Of A Sake Samurai

by 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.

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.

Little did I know back then that this would be the beginning of a sake journey that would take 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.

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 authentic stories of Japan that I can share when I open a bottle. Ultimately, before a guest takes their first sip of sake, I want to share the brewer’s history, their unique story and the painstaking efforts that shaped the drink into something so visceral and elegant.

I continue to teach, taste and talk sake with guests at Ki, striving to engage students who are beginning their own sake journeys, and meet new sake enthusiasts at events like Kampai Toronto, the largest sake festival in Canada.

Since my initiation into sake more than a decade ago, the Toronto market has come a long way, exploding with knowledge and enthusiasm for this unique drink. There are now countless sake brands available, an increasing number of restaurants and bars that serve sake, and consumer sake knowledge has increased tenfold. It only makes me curious—and excited—to see what the next decade will bring.

To cap it off, I was inducted as a Sake Samurai in September 2018 at Matsuo-taisha Shrine, a 1,300-year-old shrine in western Kyoto sacred to sake brewers. The Sake Samurai is a title given yearly to a handful of individuals by the Sake Samurai Association, which acts as a junior council of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association. The title is awarded to individuals who have contributed to the promotion of sake and its appreciation both in Japan and around the world.

There are currently more than 70 Sake Samurai doing great things for sake in their respective markets. It is a tremendous honour to be included in this esteemed group and recognized for something I love doing, especially by sake brewers themselves. It has been a truly amazing sake journey, and I have never lost my love of being a sake storyteller and introducing whoever will listen to the world of sake.

The great thing about sake is that it can be enjoyed in different environments, from Michelinstarred restaurants to small, rambunctious izakaya. It can be savoured in a wine glass or an ochoko, a small ceramic sake cup. My suggestion for those who are new to sake is to hold a sake party: buy a few different grades and styles of sake, and have some friends over to discover and appreciate the subtle flavours and elegance that await in each bottle.

Tokyo Sake Guide

Tokyo is renowned for its culinary tapestry, with hundreds of Michelin stars spread among its ramen shops, sushi counters and domestic and international cuisine. Woven into this fabric of fine dining and easygoing izakaya is Japan’s iconic drink: sake.

Whenever I visit Tokyo, I always make a point of checking out new spots and what they have in store when it comes to sake. Here are my recommendations for places to buy, try and experience sake in Tokyo in a variety of ways.

Tokyo bars

Gem by Moto

1-30-9 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo | +81 3-6455-6998


Peshi

1F Swan Building, 1-8-7 Nihonbashi Horidome-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo | +81 3-3663-1061

Sake Bar Otonari

B1F Otonari Building, 5-35 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo +81 80-7954-5357

Where to Buy Sake in Tokyo

Ajinomachidaya

1-49-12 Kamitakada, Nakano-ku, Tokyo

Suzuden

1-10 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Hasegawa Sakaten

Tokyo Station City GranSta, B1 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Ozawa Shuzo (Sawanoi)

2-770 Sawai, Ome City, Tokyo | +81 428-78-8215


Michael Tremblay