Discover the brewing traditions of sake from the Noto Peninsula and learn how the earthquake which struck the region on 1 January 2024 affected the local industry.

On 1 January 2024, when many Japanese families were celebrating New Year’s Day, a magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula located in Ishikawa Prefecture. The earthquake, followed by landslides, fires and a tsunami warning, took the lives of 245, left 1191 people injured. It also caused widespread destruction to housing and infrastructure in the region, including in the towns of Wajima and Noto famous for their lacquerware and sake making traditions, and had a devastating effect on many local businesses, such as renowned lacquer studios and sake breweries. The road to recovery is going to be a long one.

This event, jointly organized by Japan House London, International Wine Challenge and Sake Samurai Association, brings together the best sake experts in the world and offers an opportunity to taste six brands of sake from Ishikawa Prefecture carefully selected by Kenichi Ohashi MW for this occasion.

The event starts with a short introduction about the impact of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on the local sake industry by the Chairman of Sake Samurai Association, followed by a masterclass on Noto sake by wine and sake expert Kenichi Ohashi MW. After the IWC judges and co-chairmen Simon Hofstra and Beau Timken have given the audience a closer look at the six brands of sake featured in the evening tasting, all four speakers sit together to take questions from the audience.

The talk event is followed by a tasting offering an opportunity to try six brands of sake from Ishikawa Prefecture.

Please note that guests must be at least 18 years of age to participate in tasting of alcoholic drinks.
Japan House London operates a Challenge 25 policy; guests who look under 25 will be asked to show proof of age.

Japan House London reserves the right to refuse to serve alcohol to guests. Please drink responsibly. Visit drinkaware.co.uk for more information.

Please note that filming and photography may take place at this event. Photos and footage of the event may then be used to promote Japan House London, helping more people to discover what we offer. If you have any concerns, please contact us online or contact a member of the team on site.

The event starts at 18:30 and will last for about two hours.

Image: © Quim Marin Studio

About the speakers:

Kenichi Ohashi (Ken) MW

Kenichi Ohashi (Ken) MW is the only person in the world to hold both prestigious titles of Master of Sake and Master of Wine. He is a leading Japanese wine and sake distributor in Tokyo with accolades from the industry. Awarded Best Wine Merchant 1999 by Japan Sommelier Association he has been recognized for his extensive knowledge of the subject both in Japan and internationally. He is the author of Natural Wine and an online columnist of Japan’s top wine publication Wine Report. He holds a Diploma from Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London. He has been awarded many prestigious awards, including Personality of the Year 2016 by the IWC. He has also been certified as a Master of Sake (SSI) and Sake Expert Assessor (NRIB).

Beau Timken

Author (Sake – A Modern Guide), certified kikisakeshi (sake sommelier), educator, and Co-Chairman of the IWC, Beau Timken is considered one of the pioneers in the field of international sake promotion. He opened the first dedicated sake store outside Japan in 2002 in San Francisco. He was selected as the first ‘Sake Samurai’ by the Japanese Sake Brewer’s Association. He also founded the largest and longest standing sake tasting event known as SAKE DAY (Nihonshu No Hi) which is celebrating its 19th anniversary this year. Beau Timken issues a monthly newsletter (www.truesake.com) with 56,000 subscribers which he has been writing consecutively for the past 236 months.

Simon Hofstra

Simon Hofstra is the owner of Taste of Sake, a company specializing in the consulting, importing, distribution and education of sake. He was one of the first non-Japanese sake enthusiasts in Europe who started to popularize and distribute Japanese sake. Simon Hofstra was awarded the prestigious ‘Sake Samurai’ title in 2009 and won the Sake Contribution Award in 2008. He is a Co-Chairman of the IWC and an educator for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Award in Sake.

The International Wine Challenge (IWC) is the world’s most rigorously judged wine competition, hosting its annual awards in London. IWC sake judging was introduced as a key component in 2007 and has since grown to become the biggest sake competition outside Japan.

The Sake Samurai Association was established in 2005 as a junior council for the Japan Sake Brewers Association to protect sake and brewing traditions in Japan and to promote them internationally. It has greatly contributed to the increased popularity of sake and Japanese cuisine overseas. Since 2006, the Association has been awarding the ‘Sake Samurai’ title to individuals for their outstanding contribution to the understanding, appreciation or promotion of sake.