Celebration of Art of Sake-Making Pairs Award-Winning Labels with Appetizers from Top Chefs
The Joy of Sake, the world’s largest sake celebration outside Japan, heads into its fourteenth season with upcoming events in Honolulu, New York and Tokyo. The festival offers an unparalleled opportunity to taste hundreds of Japan’s finest sakes in peak condition, many otherwise unavailable in the U.S.
“The big draw is without a doubt the delicious taste of premium sake, and the opportunity to sample the best,” says Chris Pearce, the event’s organizer. “In recent years the quality of sake has reached new levels because brewers are combining centuries-old traditions with new techniques. It’s a treat to be able to share the wonderful variety of sake being made today.”
Sake is one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. beverage market, and this year’s events are on pace to set new records for attendance.
The Joy of Sake Honolulu
- Friday, July 18 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
- Hawaii Convention Center
The Joy of Sake New York
- Thursday, Sept. 18 from 6 to 9 p.m.
- The Altman Building, Chelsea
The Joy of Sake Tokyo
- Thursday, Nov. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m.
- TOC Building, Gotanda
The Joy of Sake is the public tasting and celebration of hundreds of sakes entered into the U.S. National Sake Appraisal in Honolulu each summer. Brewers across Japan—and increasingly, the U.S.—enter their best junmai, ginjo and daiginjo sakes for blind-judging by 10 sake experts from Japan and the U.S. Sakes with the highest scores in balance, taste, aroma and overall impression receive gold and silver awards.
All the sakes are then presented in peak condition for the tasting pleasure of novices and aficionados alike, paired with sake-friendly dishes created by top chefs and restaurants in each city.
About The Joy of Sake
The Joy of Sake is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering appreciation for the ancient craft of sake-making. Now the largest sake tasting outside Japan, the annual event has grown from 124 sakes in 2001 to a record 384 last year. Sakes come from all brewing regions of Japan and represent all styles. More than half are ultra-premium daiginjo sakes, made from the innermost core of the rice grain. The Joy of Sake is the only Hawaii-based event that travels around the world, pairing hundreds of sakes not otherwise available in the U.S. with specially created appetizers in a lively festival setting. For more information, visit www.joyofsake.com.
