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John Gauntner

Sake Confidential: A Beyond-the-Basics Guide to Understanding, Tasting, Selection, and Enjoyment Paperback – June 10, 2014

by John Gauntner (Author)

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With today’s sake drinkers increasingly informed and adventurous, now is the time for a truly expert guide to take you deeper into appreciation of this complex but delightful Japanese beverage, brewed from rice and enjoyed both warm or chilled.

And what better mentor than John Gauntner, the “Sake Guy” and the world’s leading non-Japanese sake educator and evangelist? Here in over two dozen no-holds-barred essays, John reveals “the truth about sake” from a connected insider’s perspective. No other book or website presents such a knowledgeable, practical, and concise yet complete guide to sake idiosyncrasies, misperceptions, and controversies.

Sake Confidential is the perfect FAQ for beginners, experts, and sommeliers. Indexed for easy reference with suggested brands and label photos. Includes:

Sake Secrets: junmai vs. non-junmai, namazake, aging, dry vs. sweet, ginjo, warm vs. chilled, nigori, water, yeast, rice, regionality
How the Industry Really Works: pricing, contests, distribution, glassware, milling, food pairing
The Brewer’s Art Revealed: koji-making, brewers’ guilds, grading

John Gauntner John Gauntner is the only non-Japanese certified Master of Sake Tasting. A resident of Japan since 1988, he has worked in the sake industry promoting and educating since 1994. Each year he conducts Sake Professional Courses for sake professionals and aficionados, and several of his students have gone on to open thriving sake shops, breweries, and izakaya in the United States.

Print length

184 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Stone Bridge Press
Publication date

June 10, 2014
Dimensions

4.5 x 0.75 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1611720141
ISBN-13

978-1611720143
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A superb, easy-to-swallow overview of this fascinating, complex and subtle beverage, offered with pith and clarity."—The New York Times

"This book is not just for sake lovers; it’s a must read for anyone interested in Japanese culture."— The Japan Times

"Written in a style that Gauntner's readers have come to know and enjoy: conversational, straightforward, earnest, unpretentious, and passionate."—The Sake Press

"Sake Confidential is essential reading for anyone curious or passionate about Japan’s national spirit."—Metropolis

"It fills a needed niche for a Sake book that goes beyond the basics, but still is approachable by even the casual reader or newbie to Sake."—The Passionate Foodie

"It's an easy book to flip through to find something of interest at your level of knowledge."—The Gray Report

"A superb, easy-to-swallow overview of this fascinating, complex and subtle beverage, offered with pith and clarity."―The New York Times

"This book is not just for sake lovers; it’s a must read for anyone interested in Japanese culture."― The Japan Times

"Written in a style that Gauntner's readers have come to know and enjoy: conversational, straightforward, earnest, unpretentious, and passionate."―The Sake Press

"Sake Confidential is essential reading for anyone curious or passionate about Japan’s national spirit."―Metropolis

"It fills a needed niche for a Sake book that goes beyond the basics, but still is approachable by even the casual reader or newbie to Sake."―The Passionate Foodie

"It's an easy book to flip through to find something of interest at your level of knowledge."―The Gray Report

About the Author

John Gauntner is recognized as the world's leading non-Japanese sake expert and educator. He has lived in Japan since 1988, and has worked in the sake industry promoting and educating since 1994. He has written seven books, including two ebooks, across two languages and hundreds of articles on the topic, and is known for his for his uniquely concise and passionate way of conveying all aspects of sake, sake enjoyment, sake culture, sake history, and brewing technology. John also conducts several Sake Professional Courses each year for sake professionals and aficionados.

Known as "The Sake Guy," John is the only non-Japanese certified Master of Sake Tasting in the world, and has also achieved the very difficult Sake Expert Assessor certification from Japan's National Research Institute of Brewing. No other non-Japanese in the world has both of these certifications. He also received the Sake Samurai award in 2006, the first year it was awarded

John has been quoted and/or mentioned in sake related articles in countless publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, Forbes, Business Week, and Rolling Stone. He has spoken at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Universities, Wharton School of Business, and countless other venues across the US and Japan.

Much of each winter he is traveling around Japan, visiting breweries regularly and constantly learning. Other efforts at educating and edifying about sake include a free monthly sake newsletter (www.sake-world.com) and various digital products and e-books.

John is also author of Sake's Hidden Stories and The Sake Notebook, both self-published ebooks, and coauthor of Sake Pure and Simple (Stone Bridge Press, 978-1880656372, now OP).

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press (June 10, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 184 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1611720141
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611720143
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.5 x 0.75 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #353,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #168 in General Japan Travel Guides
- #251 in Wine Tasting
- #394 in Wine (Books)

Customer Reviews:
98 ratings

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3 star		4%
2 star		2%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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The truth about sake

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2018

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I have a lot of respect (and admittedly some slight envy) for John Gauntner and what he has done to popularize sake and educate people about sake outside of Japan. For that reason, I remember being a little surprised when I read his "Sake Handbook", which while enjoyable also felt a bit vanilla. Actually, what it read like was (for better or for worse) a pre-Google, pre-Wikipedia introduction to sake (indeed, I think the first edition came out about 20 years ago) ... for the reader in, say, the year 2000, it would've been an extremely useful guide for the person with a budding interest in sake, but no place to turn for information about even the most basic details about the types of sake, how sake is made, etc. Now, however, that information is a quick internet search away.

I say this as preface to my review of "Sake Confidential" because this book is the book I was expecting from Gauntner--an informative, opinionated, and insightful look at what the conventional wisdom about sake gets both right and wrong. Written in a series of short, blog post-esque essays, Gauntner touches on a number of issues that are central to the nature of sake and forced me to rethink a few mantras I myself had bought into over the years (e.g., "ginjo is always 'better'", "warmed sake is for bad sake and the unwashed masses", etc.). If you're truly a sake novice, this book is probably not the best introduction to sake, as it could get a bit overwhelming and/or difficult to intuitively grasp, but for those a little further down the path, this will be a delightful and stimulating read. Gauntner's writing is lively and engaging; it honestly felt like "Sake Handbook" is the book he felt he *had* to write (in order to get people aware and educated about sake), but that this is the book he really *wanted* to write. In the former, he is teaching the reader; in the latter, he's having a conversation with the reader. It's a quick and fun read--if you like sake, you'll like this book.

5 people found this helpful

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The Templar

If you remotely are interested in saké get this book

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2018

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So four days after I finished this book I hosted a saké tasting at my house. We had gotten a couple of different types and invited a small group who were completely new to saké. I myself only learned about it from watching The Birth of Saké, and from a recent trip to Japan.

I must admit that when I presented each one I was able to speak intelligently about the stuff, and my well educated audience asked me a ton of questions that I was able to easily answer because of this book. It's a quick read and gives you an in-depth appreciation for saké. I have not read any other books, but based on what I learned (and what I was tested on) I can't see getting another book to rehash what I already learned.

2 people found this helpful

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Half English

Exceptionally informative!

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2020

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My friends are frequently amazed by how much I've learned from this book. I sound like a sake expert! (Though I would never claim such a title based on my limited experience). Nevertheless, I'm able to choose and enjoy sake at a level well beyond where I was before. For a newbie or near-newbie (like myself) this book will "jump start" your exploration of this wonderful beverage. For newbies, don't be put off by the "Beyond the Basics" in the subtitle. The book actually covers the basics extremely well, the author doesn't assume any prior knowledge of sake on the part of the reader. Would give it six stars if that were possible.

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RichardPF

A Must Read That Fills a Sake Void

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2014

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There are approximately a dozen or so books, available in English, about Sake and many of them are very similar. They provide basic information about Sake and also give some Sake recommendations. Sake articles in magazines are uncommon, and most provide only basic knowledge about Sake, introductory primers to educate consumers. It is more difficult to find advanced information about Sake, information that goes beyond the basics and generalities. Fortunately, this new book addresses this omission.

If you have any interest in Sake, then you should check out Sake Confidential. The book is divided into three parts: Sake Secrets, How The Industry Really Works, and The Brewer's Art Revealed. The book begins with a 14 page Introduction, which is a basic education about Sake, relying on numerous generalities to get across the message. After the Introduction, you will find over 24 chapters, covering a broad array of more advanced Sake topics.

Though this book deals with more advanced Sake topics, it is well written in an easily understood manner so that it will appeal to readers of any knowledge level. You do not even need to possess a foundation in Sake to appreciate this book as the Introduction provides you all you need to progress to the more advanced topics. I previously attended John's Sake Professional Course and found him to be an excellent and engaging instructor, and that comes out in this new book. John shares his extensive knowledge of Sake, going beyond the generalities many know and breaking down some of the myths and misconceptions about Sake.

In the first section, Sake Secrets, John goes into greater detail about Sake types and styles such as Junmai, Namazake, Ginjo, Kimoto, and Tokubetsu. Instead of providing one line definitions of these terms, he devotes a few pages to each term, explaining in detail some of their nuances. He then does the same for Sake ingredients such as water and yeast, as well as touching on warmed Sake and regionality. Within each fascinating chapter, you may find something about the history of the topic, as well as insider information about the current status of the Sake industry. In addition, in each chapter, John recommends a specific Sake which he feels well illustrates the topic of that chapter. These Sakes should mostly be available in the U.S.

In the next section, How The Industry Really Works, John discusses some specifics about the Sake industry, such as the role of women in breweries, Sake pricing, rice milling and Sake awards. These are generally issues which are rarely written about, so this is an especially compelling section. You'll learn compelling facts such as less than half the Sake breweries are reasonably profitable, and almost 90% of those breweries are family owned. These are some of the most interesting chapters in the book as give people a closer look into the Japanese Sake industry. In addition, this section has chapters on what glassware to use with Sake, as well as pairing Sake with food, and both chapters are informative and enlightening.

The final section,The Brewer's Art Revealed, is the briefest of the three, with only three chapters on the art of Sake brewing. They discuss koji making (basically a mold which turns starch into yeast), the Toji (the master Sake brewer) and brewing different grades of Sake. These are also intriguing chapters, giving you a better idea of the difficulties and complexities of Sake brewing. The importance of koji, the duties of a toji, brewing guilds, and the seasonal aspect of brewing. So many cool and geeky topics.

There are actually a few brief and informative chapters at the end of the book, separate from the three main sections. First, there is Developing Your Sake-Tasting Ability, with advice on how to taste Sake in a more professional manner, honing your tasting ability, which is known as kikizake-noryoku. It isn't necessary to go this far in your Sake tasting, but it is good that the information is there if you want it. It might lead you to a deeper appreciation of this wondrous brew. Next, there is Expanding Your Knowledge, some advice on gaining more Sake knowledge. Finally, there is a Glossary with definitions of many Sake terms.

Readers will appreciate that though John has plenty of Sake opinions and preferences, he doesn't try to impose them on anyone else. There is no pretension here. He simply wants people to taste Sake and develop their own preferences. Overall, this is an informative and fascinating Sake book which I highly recommend. It fills a needed niche for a Sake book that goes beyond the basics, but still is approachable by even the casual reader or newbie to Sake. Even those knowledgeable to Sake are likely to learn at least a few things from this book. Buy this book and read it while sipping a glass of Sake.

20 people found this helpful

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N.P.

Very informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

Pros: Excellent amount of information, hugely informative. Love the way author gets over the information and the way that is laid out. Makes potentially complicated detail quite digestible. Not too thick a tome.

Cons: Very few. The [very often...] repeated assertion that 'there are exceptions', that 'there are no hard & fast rules' grates a bit...drink a bottle of sake & you'll notice this less. A section on reading bottle labels & the relevant kana would have completed it.

There is a huge amount of similar information on the web, but for those who like a hard copy, it's great.

One person found this helpful

JooEe Ong

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

A really good and entertaining read. And quite illuminating too. A must read if you want to know more....

One person found this helpful

Arran Brewery

Well worth the read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2014

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Went on John's Sake course in Japan and as usual an excellent read, very clear explanations and informative

One person found this helpful

Sabatino Riccardo

Il punto di partenza per il viaggio nel sake

Reviewed in Italy on January 26, 2021

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John Gauntner è uno dei più eminenti divulgatori non giapponesi in materia di sake, un'eminenza riconosciuta ampiamente anche in Giappone dove John vive da tempo. Ma il bello di questo divulgatore è il suo amore per il sake, la sua capacità di raccontare i dettagli senza mai perdere di vista il quadro generale. E anche il suo stile, molto schietto e diretto ma mai banale, rende i suoi scritti davvero piacevoli.

Sake Confidential è stato il libro che mi ha introdotto al mondo del sake, ed è senza dubbio la migliore lettura sul tema che si possa trovare in giro, soprattutto come introduzione al tema.

Il libro affronta moltissimi aspetti nel dovuto dettaglio ma senza annoiare, con una struttura a piccoli capitoli in cui un determinato tema viene affrontato in poche pagine.
La formula è vincente: la lettura è leggera e scorre piacevole, ed è sorprendente la linearità con cui i temi sono progressivamente affrontati. Ma quello che davvero ho trovato incredibile, a distanza di anni dalla prima lettura e dopo essermi documentato molto sul tema, è che in realtà questo libro è solo apparentemente leggero, ma (ri)letto con attenzione contiene (quasi) tutto quello che c'è da sapere sul tema sake o comunque ne contiene un germe che il "lettore curioso" potrà approfondire altrove.

Se non avete problemi con l'inglese, questo è senza dubbio il punto di partenza per il vostro viaggio nel sake!

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Ted.s.Ptak

If you love sake this is one of 2 must have books

Reviewed in Canada on September 24, 2020

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Great read ! A must have

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