The Insider's Guide to Sake [Paperback]

Philip Harper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1998

Anyone who has ever been to Japan has probably fallen under the spell of a soothing cup of sake at one time or another. An encounter with Japan's favorite libation is bound to be memorable, yet despite its growing popularity worldwide, information on this eminently drinkable beverage remains scarce.

Written by a British expatriate who has spent more than seven years brewing sake in the exacting traditional method, The Insider's Guide to Sake is the consummate introductory handbook. It unravels the history and intricacies of this exotic drink, and provides an extensive list of restaurants and retail outlets in Japan, the United States, and Europe where the beverage in all its variety can be found. In The Guide you will discover over 100 sakes for all tastes and pocketbooks, tips for beginners and connoisseurs alike, and a knowledgeable explanation of the brew-master's skills. Labels and specs for each selected sake are displayed in a concise, easy-to-follow format.

Whether you are a gourmet, a wine lover, or just enjoy the occasional thirst-quencher, The Insider's Guide to Sake offers a fascinating, broad-ranging introduction to this compelling refreshment-in a refreshingly compelling manner.

Features
* firsthand, authoritative information
* slim, portable size (to use at restaurants or retailers)
* slips easily into bag, pack, or briefcase
* handy "cheat sheet" helps you select the best sake
* all types of sake discussed
* labels deciphered
* sake-tasting tips
* regional sake map
* sake sites on the Web

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A lively, clear guide to a subject just waiting to be discovered by the inscrutable West." -The New York Times

From the Publisher

AN ONLINE INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Q. Could you tell us a little about your background? "I grew up in Cornwall, in the far southwest of Great Britain. Celtic blood may partly explain my passion for fine inebriants. I prepared for a career in sake brewing by studying German and English literature at university, before coming to Japan (with the initial intention of teaching English) in 1988."

Q. What motivated you to write this book? "When I first started drinking sake about a dozen years ago, my Japanese was next to nonexistent. The early period of my sake-drinking career was exhilarating, but not without frustrations. These were mainly to do with the difficulty of terminology. Beautiful as sake labels are, they are often very difficult to read. Even the simple task of ordering a drink in a restaurant is tricky when everything is written in Japan's notoriously complicated script. English information would have been a blessing, but there was very little about. So, in a sense, the book was written for the me of twelve years ago."

Q. Could you tell us a little about the contents of the book? "As well as tasting notes of over 100 specific brands of sake, the book contains an overview of sake's long history, and a description of the remarkable process by which it is made. At the rear, there are reviews and listings of retailers, restaurants, and izakaya in Japan and abroad. A thorough index and glossary are useful features, as is the compact list of vital terms and measures, tucked into the endpapers."

Q. What do you see as the centerpiece of the book? Why is the book important? "The meat of the book is the Sake Sampler, a survey of more than 100 sake brands, with tasting notes, and information on the policy and history of individual breweries. Photographs of each label enable nonreaders of Japanese to find the sakes easily, and the book is compactly formatted, so it can be easily carried on drinking or shopping exhibitions. How important is it? As a lover of sake (rather than as the author) I'd say, as a practical guide, it is second to none.

Q. What did you yourself learn from writing the book? "I was reminded constantly of the huge range of styles of sake."

Q. What would you like readers to take away with them after reading this> book? "If readers come away infected with the delight in sake that has helped me keep my nose to the grindstone in a traditional brewery for the last decade, I would be delighted."

Q. What people or books were influential in the writing of your book? "My uncomplaining wife did enormous amounts of unpaid work. The books of Japanese sake critic and writer, Matsuzaki Haruo, were an inspiration and a tremendous resource. If he wrote in English, I don't think I'd have the nerve to bother. The understated prose of Charles MacClean, and his apt evocations of the delights of Scotch whisky have also been a model for me."

Q. What are your plans for the future, in terms of new books or other projects? "New sake books in the pipeline, in English and Japanese. For English, watch this space!"

Q. Is there anything else the reader should know? "Everyone should be acquainted with fine sake."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha USA (September 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770020767
• ISBN-13: 978-4770020765
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 3.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Japanese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Guide to Sake Out There, June 23, 2000

By 

o0mingmak "o0mingmak" (Honolulu) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Sake (Paperback)

As a lover of great sake but one who did not know much about how to go about choosing it, I found this book to be very informative and entertaining at the same time. Entertaining in that this is a true "insider's guide" since the author is the only foreigner that I have heard of who has worked in a traditional sake brewery for an extended amount of time. The insights contained in this book can be found nowhere else in the English language as far as I know.

Sake, like wine, comes in many forms and can be an aquired taste. Really good sake served cold (were talking really expensive stuff) can be one of the best tasting drinks you will ever experience. Please don't judge the merits of sake by that cheap hot stuff thats often served in inexpensive Japanese restaurants.

I recommend this book for those even with a passing interest in sake - wherever you currently reside. For foreigners currently living in Japan, the book will encourage you to taste various sake available only in Japan (as you should while you are there). For those outside Japan, the book contains a very comprehensive guide to restaurants and stores that serve/sell premium sake.

Finally, I should also mention that "The Insider's Guide to Sake" is much better than other books you will find on the subject, including "The Book of Sake". It is an easy read, and is thin enough to fit in your pocket (OK, a large pocket) so that you can take it with you to the local liquor store.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please don't heat the sake!, September 12, 2002

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Sake (Paperback)

I am glad that Philip Harper wrote "The Insider's Guide to Sake." What you have here in this little book is everything a person needs to begin their exploration into the inscrutable world of Sake.

Like many alcohols, Sake is a beverage of wildly variant qualities. Some is made to be cheap and get you drunk quick, some is made to savor and enjoy. Of course, approaching a Sake label with little Japanese ability makes it difficult to discern the difference. Even if the label is translated, the meaning is not readily clear. What makes a good Sake? What qualities should I be looking for?

This books takes that exact frame of mind, leading the novice through all stages of Sake production from rice growing to brewing methods, both traditional and modern. Sake is quality-graded by the government, and by the end of this book a drinker will be able to choose with confidence between a Junmaishu, a Hinjozu or the ultra-sake Daiginjo.

A few other benefits of this guide are a sake alphabet, with facts and useful tidbits of information spread throughout the book in alphabet format. The tasting guide offers a brief glance at a hundred or so of the available 1,000 plus Sakes. I found this to be a very useful starting place, allowing me to make an informed choice at the Sake store. (The book also shows you how to recognize a quality Sake seller. a very useful piece of information.) Depending on where you live, the sake restaurant guide is useful.

All in all, this book picked my interest in sake and transformed my casual curiosity into a full-blown investigation. Don't go into a sake shop without it!

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Day I Will Be a Snob, January 25, 2004

By 

James Benson "J LeRoy" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Insider's Guide to Sake (Paperback)

Several months ago I went to Shiki's, a Japanese restaurant in Seattle with a group of friends. It was a comfortable night and I thought I'd get some Sake. The Sake came out and I poured some for myself and my friends and it was vile. Absolute undrinkable swill.

My friends looked at me like I was from another planet. "This is what Sake tastes like," they said. "No, it is not." I replied. Luckily, Shiki's has a small, but well chosen, selection of specialty Sakes. I selected one of those and when they brought it over the table could hardly believe the difference.

I knew there was a difference, but I had no idea why. I just knew that when I was in Tokyo I was given something very different than the evil liquid I was first served.

I decided at that point that I would become a Sake snob. I figured that in this age of ubiquitous information it would be easy to find resources on Sake and that it would still be a rarity. Becoming a Sake snob would add to my overall mystique and propel me from the merely interesting person I was into the dauntingly magnificent fellow I am today.

Philip Harper's small book was my propellant. The book is very short ... in fact most of it is lists of Sakes, restaurants and retail outlets world wide. The book takes you through a quick history of the art of making Sake, how to taste Sake, how to read a Sake bottle label so you know what you are buys, and what all the different terms mean.

I looked at several other books and they didn't seem to cover things as well or as well-worded. According to himself, at any rate, Mr. Harper is the first gaijin to really work his way into the Sake world.

I don't think I've quite made myself a Sake snob. But I can read the bottle, and am working my way slowly through the various Sakes out there. I am lucky in that Seattle has many to choose from. Apparently there are thousands.

And at least I can tell people the difference between the first Sake we ordered at Shiki's (which was Sanzoshu - sort of like the Thunderbird of Sake) and the good stuff (Dai Junmai Ginjo). I can appear the snob and talk about rice polishing and brewers alcohol and so forth. So I can be pretentious, at least, as I work up to being a true snob.