Sake Mistress

30/06/2024

🍶💥
Last day of June
Boom boom 💥

30/06/2024

TWTT heads to Mie Prefecture tomorrow night to feature Ito Shuzo. We’ll be joined by Jun Ito and his daughter, Rika, for the 135th session in the series. 🍶🍶🍶

30/06/2024

A sneaky tasting off air after an enjoyable sake chat on air with _it on
Thanks so much to Cam for giving 🍶🍶🍶 some airtime. 🙏🙏🙏
Also so lovely to meet & and to see the lovely again.

📸:
🍶: Ine Mankai from Mukai Shuzo available via
🍶: Fukucho Seaside Sparkling from Imada Shuzo available via .com.au

30/06/2024

28/06/2024

Always great to see sake getting the exposure it deserves. Today’s Australian Financial Review Magazine - pages 36~41.
Thanks to for the mention in this article and for doing such a feature piece on sake 🙏🍶 with gorgeous photos from

26/06/2024

Monday night saw a very enjoyable TWTT session with Masataka Murashige and Keiichiro Kaneko from Murashige Shuzo in Yamaguchi Prefecture. 🍶🍶

22/06/2024

TWTT heads to Yamaguchi Prefecture tomorrow for sesssion #134 🍶🍶
Feature brewery will be Mutashige Shuzo and we will be joined by Takamasa Murashige and Tōji, Kaneko Keiichiro. 🌾🌾

15/06/2024

Wakakoma ‘Carnival’
Muroka Nama Genshu
Usu-nigori

Kashiwase-san continues to brew some really interesting and tasty sake.

He was the guest on Taste with the Tōji, (the Zoom sessions), back in November 2021 and I remember his session fondly.

He mentioned that a lot of people associate low polished sake with something that is quite heavy, in weight and in flavour. Most of what they produce seems to be Muroka Nama Genshu and all their sake is pressed using a Fune. Their sake is far from heavy on the palate but it is complex. A delightful mix of nama-freshness/zing, with subtle sweetness, pleasant sourness and bright acidity, along with some true ‘rice’ flavour.

11/06/2024

Posted • New podcast episode has dropped…

In this episode of TWTT, Simone and Julian chat with Marcus Consolini, CEO of Daimon Shuzo in Osaka.

Marcus hails from New York but has held strong business connections with Asia through his many years of working in finance. The story of how he came to be a non-Japanese CEO of a Japanese Sake Brewery, (a very rare thing indeed), has been told many times in print and on other podcasts.

We initially wanted to catch up with Marcus to talk about the internship that Daimon Shuzo offer, as sake brewing experiences has been a little bit of a theme for us lately, but it has also been some time since Marcus appeared on TWTT The Project, (our Zoom room series and where TWTT, as a whole, began).

Marcus was our special guest in the Zoom room for TWTT The Project back in February 2021, right in the heart of COVID lockdowns and border closures. He presented a wonderful virtual tour of the incredible space that is Daimon Shuzo, we got to see inside the brewery and the restaurant, and we were also joined by 6th generation, Yasutaka Daimon and his son Kohei for that session.

A lot of changes have happened at Daimon since we last spoke to Marcus, so we thought we’d touch base and hear about the recent happenings and changes at Daimon, as well as a little about the internship they offer.

We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it, and if you are curious to hear or read more about Marcus and Daimon after listening to this episode, we have shared a few links in our show notes of interviews and articles from and Japan Eats that you might find of interest.

You can follow Daimon Shuzo on Instagram ⁠⁠

Our hosts:
Simone ⁠⁠
Julian ⁠⁠
Maki ⁠.amata⁠

This episode was recorded on 4 June 2024.

Thanks for listening

10/06/2024

Some footage from the recent Australian Sake Awards judging weekend in Sydney.

10/06/2024

There’s no TWTT Zoom session this evening, but last Monday night saw a most enjoyable couple of hours with Wataru Takahashi from Takahashi Shosaku Sake Brewery.
This was such a fun, engaging and informative session.

01/06/2024

Looking forward to tomorrow night when TWTT heads to Fukushima Prefecture to feature Takahashi Shōsaku Sake Brewery and chat with Wataru Takahashi.

28/05/2024

Spending a weekend in Sydney, tasting sake, ain’t so bad. Thanks to everyone involved for making last weekend a lot of fun at

26/05/2024

It’s been a long week… but last weekend was good fun at

26/05/2024

No TWTT session tomorrow night but last Monday saw a delightful evening, chatting with Risa Takagi and Katsunobu Goto from Okuhida Shuzo.

🍶🍶🍶

23/05/2024

at Customs House in Sydney over the weekend saw a fun new addition with a second day of tasting that featured a food pairing component.

20/05/2024

Almost time for tonight’s TWTT session.
We are heading to Gifu prefecture this evening, to feature Okuhida Shuzo.
Looking forward to hearing from Risa Takagi and Tōji, Katsunobu Goto.

14/05/2024

Well that was a fun TWTT session!
Last night saw TWTT shine a spotlight of Kikkawa Jozo. We were lucky enough to have the Tōji, Mizuno-san, AND the Kumamoto, Goto-san, with us for what was a wonderfully laid back, personable, informative and enjoyable session.
I never get tired of hearing these sake stories.
It’s a joy to still be facilitating this project 4 years after it started.
Big thank you to (Mizuno-san and Goto-san) and Julian 🙏🙏

🙏🍶🫶

12/05/2024

“It’s a sake… a craft sake. Infused with to@atone for and basil.”
I have to say, I was sceptical at first. I used to think I swayed a little more towards the “purest” side when it comes to sake. However, in recent years, particularly since starting the Taste with the Tōji project (TWTT) in 2020, I’ve been exposed to such a huge variety of sake. I’ve been fortunate enough to not only taste a lot, but also to hear a lot of stories behind the brew. These stories have often changed the way I think about certain aspects of the brewing process or philosophy of a product and has opened my mind and my palate to a whole new world, beyond the one I was comfortable and familiar with.
I’m not a huge fan of anything ‘tomato’ in liquid form. Love them fresh, as a fruit. Needless to say, I was expecting to turn my nose up at this but instead, I did quite the opposite and ended up purchasing a couple of bottles.
I have to say, in addition to sake, I love beer… but I started to get a little tired of the whole idea of ‘craft’ beer and ended up going back to the root of a lager and an ale. Don’t get me wrong, there are a tonne of craft beers I really enjoy and I’m not offended by the word anymore.
I was in two minds about the whole idea of ‘craft brews’ bleeding into the world of sake. But… it’s a thing. Craft sake is a thing and those who do it well have left an impression on me and changed my mindset.
are one of the said craft breweries that have made me stand up and take notice and embrace something a little left of centre.
This Margherita Sake from Lagoon drinks nothing like a traditional sake, but shares something with brews I’m familiar with, all the while owning its unique characteristics. It drinks like something in between a wine and a sake and has layers of flavour with a great balance. Full of umami with fresh flavours of tomato flesh and basil. It’s really like nothing else I’ve ever tasted.
It’s far from a ‘quaffer’ for me but delicious to sip alongside the right accompaniment… and what better accompaniment than a Margherita pizza. 🍕
Thanks .aus for introducing me to Lagoon’s unique range. 🙏🍶♥️

11/05/2024

Tomorrow night, Monday 13th May, TWTT will head to Kanagawa Prefecture to feature Kikkawa Jozo.

Joining us from the brewery will be Norimichi Goto and Msanori Mizuno.

🍶🍶🍶

23/02/2024

Third Sydney event just added.
Are you, or anyone you know, studying any aspect of hospitality?
We'd love to see you there!

https://forms.gle/T8SPkx9fnRgpomrX8

20/02/2024

20/02/2024

Places are filling up fast for this one!!!

Only a handful of seats left. Wait list will commence shortly.

As announced recently via Sake News:

SAKE SYMPOSIUM ~ ‘Ancient Methods for Modern Brews’

Free Sake Symposium including Sake & Food Pairing, Sake Tasting and Panel Discussion.

Places filling fast. (Places limited to 50 people only. Register online by 6pm Tue 27 Feb)


On Monday 4 March, 2024, as part of the ‘Bringing Sake to the Table’ campaign, Sydney will play host to yet another exciting event, ‘Ancient Brews for Modern Times’ is the title and theme for this unique and informative Sake Symposium.

We are excited to be joined for this event by two brewers from Japan: Rumiko Moriki from Moriki Shuzo in Mie Prefecture, and Yuichiro Kawahito from Kawatsuru Shuzo in Kagawa Prefecture. Also joining us for this event is David Lowe from Lowe Family Wine Co in Mudgee, NSW, along with ‘Sake Mistress’, Simone Maynard, from Melbourne.

Our topic for this event, ‘Ancient Methods for Modern Brews’, will see us explore some age-old brewing and fermentation techniques that are not only still used today, but seem to be making a healthy resurgence in both the sake and wine industry.

During our panel discussion, we will take a good look at the art of Kimoto style sake brewing, with Rumiko Moriki, whilst touching on some other ancient starter methods, as well as hear from David Lowe about the ancient art of fermenting wine in Amphora (large clay vessels).

We will also be offering a curated sake & wine food pairing during our panel discussion, and if time permits, we will have a Q&A session.

Following the panel discussion, guests will have the opportunity to taste additional sake alongside a range of canapes, as well as chat with panel members and guests in a relaxed atmosphere.
We invite you to join us and take advantage of this unique opportunity to hear from our wonderful guests and learn more about some of these ancient methods as well as discover just how unique and diverse sake’s food pairing potential is.


Should you wish to attend this free event, we would appreciate it if you could inform us by Tuesday, 27th February by filling out the online registration form below.


Online registration by 27 February:

https://forms.gle/7VvSAJJ5urFeJ6ow5

*Sake Symposium is limited to 50 places only.
*Places will be given on a 'first come, first served' basis for those who register online. A confirmation email will be sent to each successful applicant.



Event details
Date: Monday 4th March, 2024
Time: Registration opens at 4:30 PM (for confirmed applicants)
(please arrive on time as the Symposium will commence at 5:00 PM)

Location: ‘Marble Room’ @ Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel
27 O'Connell St, Sydney NSW, Australia


We advise you to register ASAP to avoid missing out! Limited places available.
For any inquiries regarding this event, please feel free to contact us.

[email protected]
JAMS.TV Pty Ltd

This event is a collaboration between the Japanese Government and Australian Sake Festival organiser, JAMS.TV Pty Ltd.

20/02/2024

02/01/2024

Excited to be part of this upcoming event and play a part in finally getting the movie 'Kampai! Sake Sisters' to Australia.
This will also be Marie Chiba's first visit to Australia.
This free to attend event also offers a sake and food pairing component and a live panel talk.
If you're in Sydney and would like to join us, please register via the link below.

https://forms.gle/BimJfLL3DXjFden26

11/12/2023

27/11/2023

20/11/2023