“Ask Beau” – “What do you think about the Robert Parker Sake System?”

Ha! I knew this question would be coming soon. What I didn’t know is that so many people would ask from almost every continent on the planet. And right there is the rub in a nutshell. What do I think of his “System”? Let me be perfectly honest, I have dedicated the last 15 years of my life to keeping this guy out of the sake silo. He has his home, he has his field of expertise, and he has no business putting his lack of experience in sake. But he did, and he did it for business.

I look forward to writing more about Parker in the sake world, and will do so in a future Newsletter. But please know that I am not a fan, and I feel that he and his “system” is exactly what the sake world does not need. Robert Parker is the opposite of sake. It saddens me to know that there are potential sake customers out there who look to Parker as a guide in their sake process. He’s like Stevie Wonder as your climb leader going up Mt. Everest. And yes, I have been slowly replying to all of the folks in both the sake and wine world who have reached out and asked why and why now? And I would say that there is about a 95% agreement amongst my professional peers that this man is wrong for sake.

And one friend said it best in a quick text, “ Arrogance, ignorance, disrespect, and disservice.”

True that! And more to come.