EPISODE INTRO
In episode 94 of the Japan Distilled podcast, your hosts Christopher Pellegrini and Stephen Lyman find themselves shouting at clouds (talking state of the industry) in the studio after far too long.
CREDITS
Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)
Mixing and Editing: Marc Matsumoto
HOSTS
CHRISTOPHER PELLEGRINI Vermont born and bred, long-time Tokyo resident and author of The Shochu Handbook, Christopher learned about delicious fermentations as a beer brewer at Otter Creek (Middlebury, VT). He now spends most of his waking hours convincing strangers that shochu and awamori are unlike anything they’ve ever tried before.
STEPHEN LYMAN discovered Japan’s indigenous spirits at an izakaya in New York City. He was so enthralled that he now lives in Japan and works in a tiny craft shochu distillery every autumn. His first book, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, was nominated for a 2020 James Beard Award.
Stephen and Christopher are always happy to catch up and share thoughts on the spirits industry.
If you have any comments or questions about this episode of Japan Distilled, please reach out to Stephen or Christopher via Instagram. We would love to hear from you.
SHOW NOTES
RNDC Collapse
In 2025, RNDC, the largest alcohol distributor the US exited the California market. IN 2026 they folded – out of business entirely. This has had massive downstream effects on the industry as other distributors worked to pick up the pieces (both desirable brands and experienced employees), brands scrambled for new distributors, and bars and restaurants worked to figure out exactly who was now selling what to keep their shelves stocked.
Shifting Drinking Trends
As mentioned above, a lot of categories are struggling. Christopher, a former craft beer brewer, would not want to be in craft beer at the moment. Wine is sluggish. The whisky market has collapsed. Previously allocated bourbons that used to sell for multiples of suggested retail are now readily available and often on sale. A complete shift from 2 years ago.
Ready to Drink canned cocktails have become a growth category, which makes sense since craft cocktails are having a moment, but not everyone wants to become a home bartender or acquire all of the ingredients necessary to make those drinks at home. RTDs reflect an affordable compromise.
The Honkaku Collective
A call to action!
We have established a private social media site for our listeners. The Honkaku Collective is intended as a global community for koji spirits lovers, bar professionals, and alcohol experts. The forum will offer a global events calendar, in-person gathering invites, interaction with Stephen and Christopher and other drinks professionals, and continuing and deeper education than what we are able to offer through the podcast. Joining is free, but you will need to use your real name and create log-in credentials.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE HONKAKU COLLECTIVE TODAY
Brighter Days?
The beverage alcohol industry in the United States in particular is absolutely grim at the moment, but Christopher feels a sense of optimism. While drinking is down across the board, a few sectors seem to be bucking the trend: budget and story-driven. Korean Soju, RTDs, and cheap spirits are continuing to sell apace while the middle, premium, and super premium tiers are getting hammered. Relatively obscure categories of well made beverage alcohol seem to be doing okay – alpine liqueurs, sake, and fortunately, shochu and awamori.
The Spirit of Japan Screening in Rotterdam
The Spirit of Japan will have its European premiere on September 25th and a repeat screening on September 27th at the Camera Japan Film Festival. Stephen will be there both evenings in person and will participate a Q&A afterward.
International Shochu and Awamori Day
As our regular listeners already know, November 1st is International Shochu and Awamori Day with events around the world, but perhaps most relevantly Shochu Street in the Tenmonkan neighborhood of Kagoshima City, which will host a two day festival on October 31st and November 1st. About 80 shochu makers come out to share their spirits for a very affordable (dangerous?) price.
More to Come
We have been remiss with our first episode in over 6 months, but we promise the podcast is still going. We have just been extremely busy and will be shifting our focus a bit. Nevertheless, we press on. After all, who else will shout at this clouds if we don’t?
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