James Liu is the CEO of the Singapore-founded sake model SakeTaberu. SakeTaberu differentiates itself from different sake manufacturers available on the market with numerous USPs (distinctive promoting factors) which embody producing naturally-made sake with out preservatives or components alongside incorporating 100-year-old fermentation methods. The model additionally has distinctive ranges together with model specialty “amazakes”, often known as candy sakes and the “4 Seasons Sake” vary. “We goal to solely produce the very best quality sake in your enjoyment and peace of thoughts,” reads a motto from the model’s web site. High quality elements utilizing all-natural conventional Japanese fermentation methods delivered to the shores of Singapore, James Liu speaks to Ulux on the journey of beginning his personal model and his plans for model growth throughout Singapore and the remainder of Southeast Asia.
You have been born in Taiwan, studied in Singapore, and have spent a lot of your life in Southeast Asia. Inform us about your love of Sake and what introduced you to proudly owning a Sake Brewery in Japan?
I by no means actually felt too completely different from being Singaporean and have all the time warmly embraced this id, particularly since I served within the nationwide service right here. However being born Taiwanese was actually what gave me the chance to start out the brewery and our model. I had an uncle dwelling in Japan on the time who was disinterested in persevering with together with his sake brewery and had initially wished to promote it. My household introduced it up casually someday and the chance to personal a enterprise instantly sparked an curiosity in me. My dad and mom have all the time been in enterprise, and rising up watching them actually impressed me to additionally put coronary heart and soul into one thing I actually cared about and owned, somewhat than working to construct one thing that wasn’t mine.
You talked about that SakeTaberu is produced by fermentation methods that date again over 100 years, inform us extra about it and the centuries-old historical past of Sake.
We can’t discuss in regards to the historical past of Japanese sake with out mentioning rice. Rice was introduced from China to the southern island of Kyushu about 2,500 years in the past and customarily predates recorded historical past, so there’s fuzzy proof of its origins. Historians counsel a number of theories of its origins, which hook up with when wet-rice cultivation grew to become prevalent in Japan. A number of texts allude to an unspecified kind of rice-based alcohol in Japan. The earliest references to alcohol in Japan have been within the first-century Chinese language textual content “Lunheng” (論衡) and third-century “Data of the Three Kingdoms” (三國志). They described the ingesting and dancing tradition of the Japanese folks. The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀), the historic doc, and the Kojiki (古事記), the basic mythology textual content, mentions Gods imbibing the drink. One other principle means that kuchikami zake (口嚼ノ酒) was the origin of sake. Such a alcohol, made by villagers chewing rice and spitting the contents right into a communal vat, was additionally present in China round 500 BC. The saliva and pure yeast enzymes would convert the wealthy starch into an alcohol slurry. The method was supposedly delivered to Japan in the course of the origins of sake-making. But when I came upon that my sake was constituted of saliva at the moment, that may have simply turned me off from ingesting it.
SakeTaberu’s sakes are made naturally, with out preservatives or components. How does this differ from different sakes offered available on the market and what are the important thing tasting notes of SakeTaberu’s sakes?
I might say the largest distinction that helps our sake stand other than the mainstream sakes available on the market can be the truth that we now have closely popularised the thought of having fun with “amazakes”, often known as “candy sake”. It’s because conventional sakes may show to be too dry or too intense for many customers in at the moment’s alcohol local weather. That is actually why aside from our normal vary of beautiful conventional sakes, we curated a “4 Seasons Sake” vary, celebrating a gorgeous sake for every season. This additionally helps us cater to the final market of people that may need much less expertise with alcohol. At SakeTaberu we consider that having fun with sake, having fun with alcohol, and having fun with life, ought to be inclusive and expressive — by way of not simply style, however by way of coronary heart.
How is sake included into cocktails and tells us which SakeTaberu-based cocktail is your favourite?
I’ll be sincere, I can’t profess to be an knowledgeable mixologist, however having fun with alcohol is private, so I might counsel you strive mixing several types of sake with different kinds of alcohol or mixers — you by no means know which mixture would hit the spot. However for those who’re asking for my suggestions, a gorgeous cocktail of Prosecco, Sakura sake and a tinge of raspberry syrup stirred properly would make an superior drink to quench your thirst.
Which bar in Singapore would you advocate to our readers who wish to get pleasure from SakeTaberu?
Properly, I can’t reply that query definitively. I’m not gatekeeping, however somewhat as a result of all of the bars we work with curate equally stunning cocktails with coronary heart. You simply need to strive all of them.
Is SakeTaberu obtainable on-line?
Sure after all, your readers can order our sakes off our web site at www.saketaberu.com
What occasions and tasting experiences are you holding in Singapore and the way can our readers register for them?
As of now, we now have a number of occasions within the pipeline. Previous to this SakeTaberu was an official sponsor for the Singapore Yacht Model Awards 2024. My firm sponsored sake for the esteemed yacht homeowners and VIP friends for the yacht awards and yacht present, and wish to work much more carefully with One15 Marina, Ulux and Yacht Model within the close to future. We will probably be sharing extra updates in due time and encourage your readers to stay up for extra information. Please comply with us on our Instagram for extra updates on future occasions! And naturally, any occasions with Ulux, Males’s Folio or Yacht Model, relaxation assured you’ll be able to all the time spot me there.
Learn Extra: The Winners of the Inaugural Yacht Model Awards 2024 in Singapore
The place do you see your organization “Hovering Swallow” in 5 years? Would you may have expanded to different South-East Asian (SEA) markets?
We’re at present in a couple of international locations in SEA and China, however the final objective is unquestionably to develop all through most if not all of SEA, and convey extra sake and the tradition of Japanese sake to the remainder of the world.
What’s a life mantra you reside by?
All the time look forward, all the time transfer ahead, all the time smile, as a result of life goes on – c’est la vie!
Discover out extra about SakeTaberu right here:
Web site: www.saketaberu.com
Instagram: @sake.taberu
E-mail: Liubuziness@gmail.com & saketaberusg@gmail.com
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