Great find and share! I’m about 3/4 of the way through and I really like Kerry’s articulation, demeanor, and the way he expresses, represents, and shares his thoughts about sake as well as his family history and background. It’s always interesting to get the perspectives of American and state side industry people, especially the reps who do more than just rep’ing.
A few side comments unrelated.
I just shared my thoughts about sake and pairing in general from observations in Japan most recent trip and to some extent what I have come across here in Northern Cailfornia
There is a 11 day long Craft Sake Fair going on in Roppongi Hills in Tokyo (will end in a few days). Every day of the event are representatives and heads of major breweries (big and small) showcasing about 3 bottles from their entire portfolio (some are seasonal, some are regular staples). 110 sake breweries nation wide representing, 10 breweries per day all spread across. I am unclear of the details but I believe it is paying for a ticket to get in, which may get you some additional ticket stubs to redeem for sake tasting. What’s more amazing about this event is that there will actually be food in the form of meal sets (on trays) from different parts of the world, and you can even ask the master brewers what they recommend what their sake should go with! There is also an interactive booth featuring a game where you can select from any flavor of kit kat, and it will recommend a sake featured in the fair to pair with it, after you answer questions asking your personal preferences/likes and dislikes.
Since you are familiar with Tatsuriki, Ryusuke Honda with around two other reps brought in Akitsu, Kimoto Tokubetsu Junmai, and the “rainbow” Dragon series Episode 3 to showcase. They will be back in Northern California in May, although I do not know if they will be traveling to Los Angeles this time.
Craft Sake Fair is hosted by Hidetoshi Nakata who was a former soccer player who created his own company to promote Japanese craft, culture, and sake. He is quite legendary now for being very successful and is seen as a big celebrity in the sake world for many reasons.