{"id":72668,"date":"2025-06-16T05:54:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T05:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/?p=72668"},"modified":"2025-07-10T02:51:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T02:51:44","slug":"sipping-stories-lit-and-lab-manila-bring-japanese-whisky-and-sake-culture-to-the-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/sipping-stories-lit-and-lab-manila-bring-japanese-whisky-and-sake-culture-to-the-philippines\/","title":{"rendered":"Sipping Stories: Lit and Lab Manila bring Japanese whisky and sake culture to the Philippines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bridges<\/strong>: Let\u2019s start from the beginning. How did you come to the Philippines and end up opening these bars?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Francis Hasegawa<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Francis Hasegawa<\/strong>: After the 2011 earthquake in Japan, I felt a bit lost. I\u2019d always been interested in food and beverage, and I had a particular fondness for whisky. I spent a lot of time explor\u00ading Tokyo\u2019s best bars, understanding the nuances of flavor in different spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the inspiration behind LIT?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of my partners, Marco, and I had a shared vision of bringing a unique drinking ex\u00adperience to Manila. We wanted to create a space that felt intimate and inviting where people could appreciate high-quality spirits and learn more about the culture behind them through bartender-customer interaction. We started by sourcing bottles from various distributors and importers. As our reputation grew, we were able to establish relationships with distill\u00aderies and secure rare and limited-edi\u00adtion releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What makes Japanese Whisky unique compared to other whiskies?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Japanese Whisky has its own distinct style, often characterized by its elegance and subtlety. It\u2019s a result of the metic\u00adulous craftsmanship and attention to detail of Japanese distillers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What challenges did you face when first opening LIT?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Educating the local market about Japanese Whisky. There were misconcep\u00adtions about the taste and price. We had to dispel these myths and demonstrate the value of high-quality spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has the Philippine market for Japanese Whisky evolved since you opened LIT?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More people are becoming interested in Japanese Whisky, and the demand for rare and collectible bottles is increasing. However, the rising prices and limited availability of certain whiskies have also impacted the market. The pandemic did affect the industry, and we\u2019ve seen a shift towards a younger demographic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

And then you opened a Sake Bar next door?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes, we saw an opportunity to intro\u00adduce a wider range of the best that Japan has to offer to the local market. Tradi\u00adtionally, sake was often consumed warm, partly due to the quality control issues and the need to mask imperfections. However, as technology and production techniques improved so has the quality of sake. Drinking sake cold allows you to experience its full complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We wanted to create a space that felt intimate and inviting where people could appreciate high-quality spirits and learn more about the culture behind them through bartender-customer interaction.<\/p>Francis Hasegawa<\/mark><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are some of the challenges facing the sake industry today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The decreasing number of consum\u00aders and sake breweries over the years. There are also fewer younger people who want to work in the business. Sake production is fascinating yet also tedious and laborious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there any emerging trends in the sake world?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a growing interest in smaller-batch artisanal sake as well as experimental sake, with producers experi\u00admenting with different rice varieties, yeast strains, and aging techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What are your future plans for LIT and Sake Bar?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re always looking for new ways to elevate the drinking experience \u2013\u2013 updat\u00ading our collection and introducing new and exciting drinks. We\u2019re also exploring opportunities to expand and open new locations. If anyone wants to propose a space or partner up, shoot me a line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a> <\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bridges: Let\u2019s start from the beginning. How did you come to the Philippines and end up opening these bars? Francis Hasegawa: After the 2011 earthquake in Japan, I felt a bit lost. I\u2019d always been interested in food and beverage, and I had a particular fondness for whisky. I spent a lot of time explor\u00ading […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":72789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[923,931,927,922,924],"tags":[936],"class_list":{"0":"post-72668","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-2025-magazine","8":"category-lifestyle-food-ph","9":"category-lifestyle-ph","10":"category-magazine","11":"category-philippines-2025-magazine","12":"tag-magazine"},"yoast_head":"\nSipping Stories: Lit and Lab Manila bring Japanese whisky and sake culture to the Philippines - Bridges Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/sipping-stories-lit-and-lab-manila-bring-japanese-whisky-and-sake-culture-to-the-philippines\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sipping Stories: Lit and Lab Manila bring Japanese whisky and sake culture to the Philippines - Bridges Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bridges: Let\u2019s start from the beginning. 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