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Masa Shiroki, Artisan Sake Maker, Vancouver, British Columbia

In Canada, where imported premium saké is scarce, Masa Shiroki, a native of Japan, established Artisan Sake Maker, a studio and tasting room in Vancouver focused on hand-crafted saké. Though his production is small, Shiroki’s enthusiasm for saké is infectious.
“Half of the people who come to our tasting bar think saké is a distilled spirit,” he says. “But saké is like wine, it’s supposed to be mild and tasteful.”

Shiroki uses imported Japanese saké rice in his product. In 2009, he began growing rice in Canada with the hopes of someday producing saké entirely from local sources.

Artisan Sake Maker offers a range from undiluted genshu to sparkling saké, but Shiroki’s kasu, the umami-rich lees left over from saké production, is also a rare treat. Traditionally used as a marinade, Shiroki incorporates kasu into fruit drinks, salad dressing and ice cream.
Blake Richardson, moto-i, Minneapolis, Minnesota

A longtime professional beer brewer and owner of The Herkimer Pub & Brewery in Minneapolis, Blake Richardson was blown away by his first sip of cold, premium saké at a newly opened neighborhood sushi restaurant.

Inspired to learn everything he could about saké, he quickly racked up an impressive resume of saké certifications and research trips to breweries throughout the U.S. and Japan.

In 2008, he opened moto-i, the first saké brewery restaurant outside of Japan. A play on the traditional Japanese izakaya, or pub, Richardson focuses his menu on draft pours of various styles of nama (zingy, freshly brewed, unpasteurized saké) served with his signature ramen noodles or morsels of kushiyaki, or skewered, grilled meats.

“It’s a classic beer brew pub,” Richardson explains, “except we’re making saké.”