Andre Bishop was awarded with the prestigious title of Sake Samurai in 2013. He has over 20 years experience of promoting Sake and is the leading authority of Japanese beverage in Australia. He received the Sake professional certification from the International Sake Education Council.
In 2014, he was engaged as a consultant by the Okayama prefecture to present a lecture to local Sake producer about export market potential. He is also the official brand ambassador of Dassai brewery and is available for consulting on restaurant design and operations, Sake imports and exports as well as Sake tasting and education.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Andre regularly travels to Japan and has visited many breweries to improve his understanding of sake and its production. His first trip to Japan was in 1996, he spent 5 weeks traveling around the country, had his first premium sake experience and fell in love with the culture. He was invited every year from 2010 to 2015, to the Melbourne international Food and Wine Festivals to participate in a Sake tasting event.
Andre opened his first bar “Robot” in Melbourne which now is a leading place to introduce Sake to the general public. He opened Nihonshu, a specialize sake bar offering a diverse selection of Japanese beverages.
Currently, Andre is the Sake Ambassador for Australia’s biggest online Sake retailer www.sakeonline.com.au and regularly writes sake reviews, sake education articles and brewery visit reviews. He is engaged by the Japanese Government and businesses to promote and provide education on sake, Japanese cuisine and Japanese culture.
The Sake Samurai Association
The Sake Samurai Association was established in 2004 as a junior council for the Japan Sake Brewers Association to protect sake and Japanese traditions at home and to promote them internationally. It has contributed to the increased popularity of sake and Japanese food overseas in recent years.
