Shinobu Kato is the founder and head brewer of Kato Sake Works in Brooklyn, New York. He was born and raised in Koenji, a culturally rich neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan. His journey with sake began in his hometown, where he first developed a taste for the beverage. After moving to the United States in 2004 to attend the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, he pursued a corporate career with Nissan in Nashville, Tennessee. However, his passion for sake led him to experiment with homebrewing, eventually inspiring him to leave the corporate world and establish Kato Sake Works in 2020. His mission is to make high-quality, locally brewed sake accessible and enjoyable for everyone, demystifying the drink and sharing his love for it with the community.
Q. What’s the name of your product that uses KANKITSU LABO’s products, and how do you make it?
The name is very simple—just “Yuzu.” It's a JUNMAI sake blended with yuzu juice from KANKITSU LABO. We start by making the sake itself, and then add just a small amount of yuzu juice to complement—not overpower—the sake’s natural flavor. It’s not about making a “yuzu drink,” but rather letting the sake shine with a subtle citrus accent.
Q. What kinds of foods do you think pair well with this sake?
It’s quite refreshing—thanks to the yuzu. Many people enjoy it chilled and on its own, especially as a pre-dinner drink. But it also pairs beautifully with lighter foods and fish dishes, similar to a white wine. I love it with something like hamachi sashimi or Japanese sea bream (madai) carpaccio. Interestingly, some customers even enjoy it with tacos or Mexican food, which I think speaks to its versatility.
Q. Do you think yuzu and sake go well together as a pairing?
Yes, I think so. The slight acidity and fragrance of yuzu complements the sake well. As a Japanese cook, I often use sake the way Italians use white wine—for everything—and adding a bit of yuzu just enhances the dish even more. It brings out the best in both elements. Kato Sake Works started in 2020, and we’ve been around for five years now. Our Yuzu Sake was actually the fourth product we launched, after JUNMAI, NIGORI, and NAMA. It was also our first sake with added flavor, and it's become one of our signature drinks that our customers love.
Q. How have your team and customers responded to it so far?
The response has been amazing. We sold out quickly after the soft launch at SAKE-CON NYC 2025. Even when we did a side-by-side comparison using our previous yuzu juice and the one from KANKITSU LABO, the difference was instantly clear. The fragrance of the KANKITSU LABO yuzu was five times stronger—it was a huge “wow” moment for us and our team. Customers, bartenders—everyone loves it.
Q. What inspired you to start using KANKITSU LABO’s products for your sake?
We always prefer to use ingredients from people we know and trust. Sake is simple—it’s just rice and water, so any added element really matters. We met the KANKITSU LABO team at an event, and I loved that they knew their citrus inside and out. Their yuzu juice from Yamaguchi prefecture has a thick rind and strong aroma and flavor—it’s completely different from anything else we’d used before.
Q. What inspires you to create a sake that stays true to tradition but is embraced by the local U.S. community?
Honestly, it started out of necessity. After moving to the U.S., I really missed good sake. Back in Japan, even a random izakaya usually has a few great local sakes. That wasn’t the case here. So I started brewing in my kitchen just to have access to something I love—and it grew from there. Now, we try to stay true to traditional methods, but also draw inspiration from local ingredients, neighboring breweries, and random ideas from customers. Sometimes we just throw things in a mason jar and see what happens—we even have a mushroom sake experiment going right now.
Q. Are you interested in exploring other KANKITSU LABO’s ingredients beyond yuzu and sudachi for your sake?
Absolutely. We’re planning to release a sudachi version later this year, and one of our bartenders is interested in using your dry candied citrus peels. If we could turn that peel into a kind of sweetener, it might be perfect for the frozen amazake we’re working on now. There’s a lot of room to grow and play with new flavors.
