Sake Companion (Hardcover)

by John Gauntner (Author) "production. As this mostly hot and often lifeless stuff was all that was available upon which to base an opinion, the image of sake remained..." (more)
Key Phrases: junmai ginjó, aging saké, junmai daiginjó, United States, World War, Japan Rating (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This is simply the best and most comprehensive guide to sake, written by a leading expert on the subject of the fermented Japanese rice beverage that has exploded in popularity in the United States. This exciting addition to our Companion series is a detailed guide that provides a fascinating look at the drink's cultural history, plus sections on the venerable craft of making sake, as well as an up-to-date, A-to-Z directory of more than 100 Japanese and American sake, with ratings, tasting notes, and full-color labels, and a complete listing of breweries. John Gaunter lives in Japan and publishes the news letter Sake World.

About the Author

Known as "The Saké Guy," John Gauntner is a leading authority on Japanese saké. He writes a semi-monthly column on saké for The Japan Times, as well as a free newsletter, and an informative English-language saké webpage, www.saké-world.com. He is the author of The Saké Handbook and co-author of Saké: Pure and Simple.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (November 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762408049
• ISBN-13: 978-0762408047
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #987,582 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice (but short) intro to the world of sake, August 11, 2001

By	Paul Fini (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This compact, concise book is a nice starting point if you're interested in delving into the multifaceted, complex world of sake. The author makes clear the many classifications and styles that this ancient Japanese beverage can have, in a way that's (hopefully) not too confusing to the novice. The directory of Japanese and American sakes he includes later in the book (listed by brewery, and including bottle label pictures) gives enough info to make a informed decision on which sake(s) you should try to find, depending on your preferences. He also provides the reader with plenty of references in the way of sake organization addresses and websites, etc. However, my biggest gripe with this slim volume is the lack of explanation of any of the Kanji (Japanese symbolic characters) which correspond to the classifications he describes earlier in the book. On a saké bottle label, not only are the brewery and sake names written in Kanji and Hiragana (a simpler Japanese alphabet), but the classification and style often are as well. Thus, knowledge of what the Kanji for "junmai" is, for example, is essential in many cases, and should've been included in this book.