Kikutani was born into a sake brewery in Akita and spent 17 years in London, England from 2009 to the summer of 2025.

After gaining experience as a sake sommelier at the famous London bar ZUMA/ROKA, he took the lead in launching the sake course at the aforementioned WSET. The course, which began in 2014, is based on the concept of cultivating the ability to recommend sake through education and is currently offered in 40 countries around the world.
In recognition of his series of achievements, he was appointed a "Sake Samurai" the following year in 2015, a group dedicated to spreading sake as a culture around the world.

Kikutani, who can be said to be a leading figure in promoting sake from overseas, is now "returning" her base to her "home country." Yamaguchi Ayoko, who also teaches the WSET sake class, interviews her about her activities to date, the behind-the-scenes story of how the WSET course was born, the challenges facing sake from an "outside" perspective, and her outlook for the future.

Passion for the family business and the start of a journey

Yamaguchi: Please introduce yourself.

Kikutani: I've been living in London since 2009, but I moved to Japan a few weeks ago*, returning for the first time in 17 years.
*This interview was conducted in August 2025
The reason I moved to the UK was to work as a sake sommelier at ZUMA/ROKA, a high-end Japanese fusion restaurant in London.
Through on-site sales and conversations with customers, I came to many realizations and faced many obstacles, and my desire to put these into practice led to the current WSET Sake Course.

He is currently a WSET Sake Specialist and is responsible for overseeing all sake courses. Personally, he has also launched a UK-based sake consulting business, providing training to local restaurants and supporting sake breweries in their expansion into the UK. He also conducts seminars around the world as an overseas expert for the National Tax Agency's Export Promotion Consortium, and was appointed a Sake Samurai in 2015. He is also involved in judging the Sake category at the IWC (International Wine Challenge) as a panel judge.

In the future, I would like to expand my activities throughout Asia, based in Japan. Speaking of my family, my mother's family is a sake brewery family in Akita, and my grandfather was an executive at Takashimizu (Akita Sake Manufacturing Co., Ltd.), so sake has been close to me since I was a child.

Yamaguchi: You worked at a sake brewery, but was there an atmosphere that you couldn't take over because you were a woman?

Kikutani:Yes, there was at the time. I made multiple proposals to get involved in the family business, but the timing just didn't work out for both parties, so I chose to first establish my role overseas. I still value my connection with Japan, and hope to have a positive relationship with it in the future.

The power of education learned in London

Yamaguchi: I went to university in the US, and after graduating I worked for a consulting company before joining Hasegawa Liquor Store.

Kikutani: Yes, first I wanted to get to know the situation on the ground. After that, I jumped into "ZUMA."

Yamaguchi: Were you scouted when you met ZUMA?

Kikutani: No, I initiated it myself (laughs). I searched for "sake London" and found an ad for a sake sommelier at ZUMA, so I sent in my resume.
At that time, it was easy to get a visa, so I obtained an SSI sake sommelier license, went to an interview, and was immediately hired.

Yamaguchi: Why did you choose Europe (UK) instead of the more familiar America?

Kikutani: America was already a major market for sake exports.
On the other hand, Europe has the soil of being a "country of wine," and I felt there was a lot of room for growth. London is a cultural and economic hub, and there was also a tailwind as the country had not yet left the EU.

Yamaguchi: However, the environment in London in 2009 was tough for sake.

Kikutani: Sake was rarely available outside of high-end stores, and the selection and quality were insufficient. There were also problems with transportation and storage.
Furthermore, there were still deep-rooted misconceptions that "sake = distilled alcohol" and "sake to be drunk in shots," as well as negative advertising images, so even if we offered to taste sake in stores, it was common for customers to refuse.

Yamaguchi: How did you change the situation from there?

Kikutani: ZUMA is a large venue with 300 to 400 seats, so sommeliers alone would not be able to handle it all. Therefore, we held weekly sake training sessions for our staff so that they could recommend sake with confidence. When sake brewers came to the store, we had them talk about their brands, giving them the opportunity to meet the brewers face-to-face.

As a result, the staff's feelings about selling sake changed from "anxiety" to "fun."
The power of education not only conveys knowledge but also passion, changing the atmosphere of the entire store. This realization became the starting point for my later educational design.

With the ZUMA staff

The origins and philosophy of the WSET Sake Course

Yamaguchi: Did you want to expand the system from one store to the whole of London?

Kikutani: Yes, that was my fundamental idea.
Around that time, I met Antony Moss of WSET (WSET Master of Wine, then Head of New Programs at WSET).ち ょ う どIn 2011, when the IWC SAKE division was held in Japan, I had the opportunity to have a serious exchange of opinions with Anthony through an introduction by Yoshie Hiraide of Corpo Sachi.There, we shared our feeling that sake exports would grow.
However, at the time, there were no experts within the WSET. So I raised my hand and said, "I'll do it!" and the WSET Sake Course Launch Project got underway. We conducted pilot programs in London, the US, and Dubai in 2013, and officially launched in 2014.

At the launch of the WSET Sake Course. Left: Kenichi Ohashi MW, the first Japanese MW living in Japan; center: Natsuki Kikutani; right: Anthony Moss MW

Yamaguchi: You say it so casually (laughs), but creating a textbook is a considerable challenge. It involves systematizing everything from the cultivation of rice, the structure of the rice grain, knowledge of brewing science, and the actual brewing process. I imagine this was an enormous amount of work.

Kikutani: It was really tough (laughs).
It was a collaborative effort between Anthony and me, but the basis for it was the "study notebook" that I had compiled during my time at ZUMA/ROKA.
At the site, he was constantly asked questions like, "Why does it smell like this?" and "What is the difference between the rice?", so he continued to study so he could answer them. During the three to four years he was employed, he spent all of his vacation time visiting breweries in Japan, returning to Japan twice a year and visiting a total of about 50 breweries. He organized the knowledge he gained there and put it into a textbook.
I particularly focused on how to communicate quality. During my time in the US, I witnessed quality control deficiencies, so I wanted to clarify how to explain off-flavors and what makes good sake.

Yamaguchi: WSET's point-based quality evaluation system differs from the "common sense" in the sake industry.

Kikutani: We decided to introduce that feature.
In Japan, the National Research Institute of Brewing checks for the presence of defective aromas such as aged aromas, but the basic method is a "point deduction method."
We wanted to use sake as a subject to describe what makes it so great and what unique characteristics it has.

Yamaguchi: Were there any internal disagreements or headwinds when you first started?

Kikutani: There were very few disagreements with Anthony.
What was difficult was that WSET has a policy of not including in its textbooks anything that "cannot be quantified" or "other than clear facts," so details about myths and local characteristics were omitted, and the proper names of rice varieties were initially limited to five.
On the other hand, because we are an educational institution based in the UK, we were able to provide in-depth explanations, such as the ambiguity in the interpretation of "Tokubetsu Junmai."

Kikutani: But I'm the type who pushes things forward with questions (laughs).

I could sense their enthusiasm and they often opened up to me, so I didn't worry too much about it. I also felt like it was just a conditioned reaction because the people on the set weren't used to that sort of thing.
Above all, I was convinced that this course was "necessary for society," so it was important for me to reach the world within the framework of an organization (WSET) rather than doing it under my own name. If WSET was going to do it, then it was my role to make it a reality.

How to use your qualification

Yamaguchi: The WSET Sake Course implemented the WSET Systematic Tasting Approach (SAT) for sake tasting. Rather than relying on sensory expression, sweetness, acidity, umami, texture, and aftertaste are assessed along the axis of "observation → description → quality evaluation." This is the common language for "the ability to recommend sake," but this evaluation axis comes from wine, right?

WSET has introduced its own Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT).

Kikutani: While wine tends to be narrowed down to the variety and place of origin, sake involves many different technical elements, such as rice polishing, yeast, yeast starter, fermentation temperature, adjustments after transfer to the tank, and pasteurization, making it difficult to put into words which processes affect the taste and aroma.
So, we started by creating a broad framework of "ginjo" and "non-ginjo," then gradually expanded it through levels 1, 2, and 3. At level 3, we delve into yeast selection, enzymes, and the mechanisms of ginjo aroma production.
This is an area where systems and styles are constantly being updated, so we need to continue to evolve while providing the framework.

Yamaguchi: How is the spread now that it's complete?

Kikutani: The WSET itself is recognized worldwide as the "TOEIC of the beverage industry," and just five years after its launch, the sake course has expanded to approximately 2,000 people in 20 countries around the world. Currently, it is taking courses at a rate of 3,000 people per year, with courses held in 40 countries worldwide and a cumulative total of nearly 20,000 people studying. There are over 200 certified educators (instructors), with around 100 to 150 actively teaching instructors. Approximately 120 people are capable of teaching Level 3.

The educators come from a variety of nationalities, but they share a love for sake.

Yamaguchi: Do you feel any cultural gaps among the multinational educators?

Kikutani: It's true that the base of taste is completely different from country to country, but if I had to say, when I teach in Japan, I often feel a gap compared to the global standard.
Japanese students are very serious, but they don't speak up much. Perhaps they're afraid of making mistakes. The same tendency is seen in Asian countries such as Hong Kong and Korea.
In Europe, it's the opposite, people talk too freely (laughs). The challenge is how to summarize the discussion and control what people say.

Yamaguchi: I totally understand that. In Japanese classes, it's really difficult to create an environment where students can express their opinions.

Kikutani: That's true.
But I still think the essence of education is not to "cram knowledge" but to think about and discuss "why things are the way they are."
Whether it's wine or sake, critical thinking—the ability to understand and interpret what's in the glass—is required. That's why dialogue in learning environments is so important.

Yamaguchi: It is still difficult to communicate in Japan how WSET qualifications can be used.

Kikutani: The WSET is a "global standard beverage qualification," so the sake course is part of a comprehensive educational system that includes not only sake, but also wine, spirits, and now beer. So rather than being a "sake-only qualification," it is positioned as "learning about sake within an international network of alcoholic beverage experts."
For professionals, it is valuable as a resume that can be used worldwide, and for enthusiasts, it is interesting to be able to "talk about sake in a universal language." In practice, there are many cases where sommeliers who obtain Level 3 certification have a direct impact on their careers, such as expanding sake menus, launching programs, and being put in charge of imports and distribution.

In short, the ability to "understand systematically = be able to design and explain" is highly valued. I think this will be a particularly powerful tool for those working in the export and inbound fields.

Yamaguchi: That's true. In the sake industry, it's still not enough to "describe the taste in words." Sometimes, information like "The water is good" or "The Yamadanishiki rice has been polished to this extent" ends there.

Kikutani: That's why WSET places such emphasis on training in writing tasting comments in a systematic manner.
Rather than using poetic expressions, we start by building up an analysis. We objectively describe the sweetness, acidity, umami, texture, and finish, which allows us to explain the brewing process backwards from the taste, making it more persuasive at the point of sale.
In Japan, "no flaws = good," but in global standards, understanding individuality is key. We focus on the expressive power of the sake itself, without relying on the name of the brewery or the variety of rice.

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A culture that harbors questions, a culture that dares to question: Connecting the world of sake as a "sake teacher"

♯Sake

The future of sake begins with "family"

Yamaguchi: The domestic sake market is in decline. What is your view on how the sake industry should move forward, and how WSET can be involved in this?

Kikutani: What I feel strongly about is the potential of overseas markets.
However, there is no country called "overseas." We need to be specific about who in what region will enjoy it, in what situations, and how.
WSET can provide a common language and bridge for this. At the same time, it is essential for each brewery to verbalize the "essence of their brewery." They should visualize the history of their family business, their role in the community, and even the scenery that showcases their sake, and communicate this while involving third parties.
This is where WSET can contribute by training people to talk about taste in a global framework and translating value propositions into international contexts.

Yamaguchi: To go a step further than "inoffensive words."

Kikutani: For example, talk specifically about the values ​​that the house has long protected and the functions it has played in the community. That is the "essence of the storehouse."
WSET can provide training in describing flavor in a globally common framework and a perspective for translating value propositions into overseas contexts. Breweries, sake retailers, restaurants, and importers/exporters can all translate their own stories and quality into the language of buyers - making sake a "culture that can be explained." I would like to be involved in this.

Yamaguchi: This is related to what we've discussed so far, but I feel that the lack of "diversity among stakeholders" is what is leading to the rigidity of the sake industry.

Kikutani: Yes, I think a change in mindset is necessary.
We may have been able to continue doing things the same way in the domestic market, but taking on the challenge overseas means becoming a "newcomer." This is why flexible teams and flexible thinking are required. In fact, female leadership is prominent overseas, and I think we should take inspiration from this and promote young women and people with diverse backgrounds.

Yamaguchi: So, given this trend, what is your vision for the next 10 years?

Kikutani: Society is undergoing major changes, and the food and beverage industry will face increasing challenges.
How can we create a "winning brand" in the face of adversity? We want to provide the education and systems that can help achieve this. Another goal is to create an industry that everyone can be proud of, from breweries and sommeliers to retailers and restaurants. We would be delighted if the WSET courses could be a stepping stone to that goal.
Now that I'm back in Japan, I'm once again trying to get closer to sake, and I'm going to act as a "bridge connecting the world and sake, based in Japan."

Yamaguchi: Finally, I'd like to ask you, what does sake mean to you, Natsuki?

Kikutani: It's like "family" itself. If it weren't for sake, I don't think I would be so conscious of my roots.
There are many companies in Japan that have been in business for hundreds of years, passing the baton to each generation while maintaining a common vision. There is a sense of mission and pride in this, and I believe that this is what makes us Japanese and the core of Japanese culture. Sake is filled with this essence, and can convey "Japan itself." To me, sake is like family, and at the same time, it connects regions and cultures.bondsIt is also.

Yamaguchi: This is a bit of a personal question, but would you like your daughter to pursue a career in sake in the future?

Kikutani: I want her to be free to choose. It's her life after all.
But I would be happy if they thought, "My mother's job is cool." Learning about sake connects Japan to the world. I hope to pass that on to the next generation.

Yamaguchi: I'm sure you feel that way. You must have sensed something from seeing working mothers and the history of family businesses that have been passed down for generations in Akita. Thank you for sharing your valuable story with us today.

Profile of Goko Yamaguchi
Graduated from the Faculty of Law, Kyoto University in 1995. Passed the English Guide-Interpreter exam in February 2010. His love of sake led him to become a sake sommelier, an international sake sommelier, and an FBO-certified sake studies instructor. He is also certified by the Sake Educational Council as a Certified Advanced Sake Professional (ASP). Since 2017, he has been writing articles for both Japanese and English media, reporting on trends in sake both domestically and internationally. In addition, since May 2019, he has been teaching WSET sake courses in Shinsaibashi, Osaka as a WSET sake educator.

⚫️WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust)
https://www.wsetglobal.com/jp/japanese-qualifications

⚫️Accredited schools where you can take WSET courses in Japan
Kaplan Wine Academy
TERAKOYA IMADEYA ~WSET SAKE Class~
Academie du Vin Aoyama School WSET Sake Course