Ep. 34: Kanpai, London! Interview with Tom Wilson, a master brewer and owner of Kanpai Brewery in London

After concluding The Emergence of Sake series tracing the history of sake brewing from ancient times until the modern times,  I decided to follow it with two interviews highlighting the modern trends in sake making.

And in this episode, I am talking to Tom Wilson, a master brewer and owner of the first UK sake brewery, Kanpai London. Kanpai represents a modern approach to sake brewing but follows the same philosophy as most brewers in Japan for hundreds of years: to make the best possible sake.

This episode is my first experience of recording on-site as I went to visit the Kanpai Brewery and Tap Room and sat down with Tom to talk about and try his beautiful sake. I didn't mention it in the episode, but we were drinking the finished version of the same sake Marie Cheong-Thong was talking about two episodes back.

Don't forget, Sugidama Podcast now has a sponsor, London Sake, an excellent online sake store. London Sake has one of the widest selections of premium and craft sake available online today. They deliver across the UK and Europe, and with over 100 sake from 25 breweries, there really is something for everyone.

Using simple online tasting notes and sensible, affordable food pairings they help you find the perfect sake without any of the fuss. Listeners of the podcast can get a 10% discount Listen to the episode to get the magical code! London Sake: making sake simple.

Episode's Content:

• Introduction and background
• Major challenges for opening and running a brewery in the UK
• How sake is made at Kanpai London
• The first sake of the episode: Kanpai Kaze Junmai Ginjo
• Kanpai Brewery and Tap Room concept 
• How does it feel to work as a family?
• Key points of Kanpai sake brewing and the Kanpai team
• The second sake of the episode: Kanpai Kura Junmai Koshu
• Kanpai sake range
• Plans for the future and kampai!

Kampai!

Kanpai London website:
Kanpai London

Sake mentioned:
Kanpai KAZE Junmai Ginjo
Kanpai London

Kanpai KURA Junmai Koshu
Kanpai Online Shop

Kanpai SORA 'Sky' Honjozo
Kanpai Online Shop

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Music used:
Wirklich Wichtig (CB 27) by Checkie Brown https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Checkie_Brown_1005/hey/Wirklich_Wichtig_CB_27

Just Arround the World (Kielokaz ID 362) by KieLoKaz
 https://freemusicarchive.org/music/KieLoKaz/Free_Ganymed/Just_Arround_the_World_Kielokaz_ID_362

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Vocal: Svetlana