Japan Distilled

In episode 88, Stephen chats with Kayoko Akabori of Umami Mart about the 1st ever American shochu festival! Shochu Live will be held on June 28th in Oakland, CA.

In episode 87, Stephen chats koji spirits in Charleston, South Carolina as a guest of Imbibe Magazine's editor in Chief, Paul Clarke (listen to episode 69 for more of his thoughts on Japanese spirits) and James Beard Award winning author, bartender, and bar owner, Julia Momose. The trio hosted a live panel discussion of koji spirits to a group of guests, most of whom had never tried shochu, awamori, or koji whiskey before.

In episode 86, Stephen spends some time musing on the recent announcement that the U.S. Surgeon General recommends cancer warnings on beverage alcohol labels.

In episode 85, Stephen Lyman finally gets around to introducing himself.

In episode 84, Christopher Pellegrini finally gets around to introducing himself.

UNESCO Koji Fermentation recognition? In episode 83, we discuss the recent announcement that Japanese koji alcohol fermentation has been named an intangible cultural heritage.

In episode 82 our host Stephen Lyman sits down at Khaluna Restaurant in Minneapolis with Grant Lavrenz who is doing amazing things with koji spirits in his cocktail program.

In episode 81 our host Stephen Lyman is joined by founder of Nankai Shochu, the first kokuto sugar shochu developed specifically for the US market.

In episode 80, our hosts take a deeper look at The SG Shochu from The SG Group, lead by internationally recognized bartender, Shingo Gokan.

In episode 79 our hosts are back in the studio to talk about gateway shochu brands and simple service styles to help introduce these spirits to unfamiliar drinkers.

In episode 78 our host Stephen Lyman is joined by co-author of The Bartender's Pantry, bartender, bar owner, introvert, and writer Jim Meehan.

In episode 77 our host Stephen Lyman sits down to chat with lawyer turned chef turned lobbyist John McCarthy to discuss the end of the soju label rule for NY and CA. Of course, they also talk shochu, hospitality, and plenty else.

In episode 76 our host Stephen Lyman sits down with chef turned distiller Hamish Nugent of Reed & Co. Distillery to talk trial and error, success, and the very first Australian Shochu.

In episode 75 our hosts at long last profile the iconic and iconoclastic Chuko Distillery in Okinawa. 

In episode 74 our host Stephen Lyman sits down with author of Whisky Rising, Stefan VanEycken in Tokyo. They discuss Stefan's whisky journey, his book, and the state of Japanese whisky in 2024.

In episode 73 our host Stephen Lyman visits Aloha Whisky Bar in the Ikebukuro neighborhood of Tokyo. He and owner David Tsujimoto talk whisky discovery, the journey to bar ownership, and the state of Japanese whisky in 2024.

In episode 72 our hosts reflect on a massive increase in awareness for shochu in awamori overseas and wonder about what 2024 has in store.

In episode 71 our host Stephen Lyman is joined by James Beard Award Winning Author and Journalist, Emma Janzen to talk about the similarities, differences, histories, and culture behind two of the world's most fascinating indigenous spirits traditions: agave spirits and koji spirits.

In episode 70, Stephen reflects on succession challenges in small family distilleries on his first solo podcast for Japan Distilled.