Who we are

Sake District was founded to further sake education and appreciation in Washington DC. We focus on equipping restaurants and individuals with the knowledge and experience they need to become familiar with sake and demystify its terms and serving techniques.

But really, we just strive to share our love of sake with the larger DC community - whether you’re a service industry professional or just someone curious about this unique beverage.

Are you an individual looking for a private tasting or help selecting sake?

Or a beverage or restaurant worker interested in a collaboration?

Reach out!

Our Founder

Scott Movens is the founder of Sake District. He’s a sake expert and educator based in Washington DC with years of experience hosting events, teaching, and serving sake.

He has multiple sake certifications, including WSET Level 3 with distinction and Certified Sake Professional.

Scott is also one of the foremost experts on hot sake in the US, specializing in the craft hot sake movement taking root in Japan.

He has been growing his own koji for many years, both for homebrewing his own sake and for other projects.

Experience

We’ve worked with a variety of businesses to further their sake and Japanese spirits programs and teach consumers about sake.

Some examples of companies we’ve worked with include:

  • Suntory Global Spirits

  • DC Sake Co

  • Dassai Blue

  • Rice Market

  • Hill Center

  • San-J Tamari

  • Keita Sashimi

  • Menri Ramen

Specialties

  • Hot sake gets a bad reputation in the US, but it has a rich tradition in Japan. We’ve dived deep into this subculture and are constantly experimenting with various tools, techniques, and methods for serving the ideal warm sake experience.

    Scott has hosted many events on kanzake and is one of the only experts specializing in hot sake in the US, creating various guides and resources for preparing high-level kanzake.

  • Scott has been growing his own koji for years, both for homebrewing sake and for the production of miso, amazake, shoyu, and more. He knows the science and practical use of the essential ingredient to sake inside and out.

  • Scott has studied Japanese spirits extensively, including shochu. We’ve hosted multiple koji-in-cocktails seminars and created shochu-based cocktails for various events.

  • Scott has brewed many batches of sake on his own, including growing his own koji. This has provided valuable insight into the sake production process itself.