Russ (Russell) became professionally involved in Sake in 2019 when he opened a sake bar in Seattle with his business partner, after leaving a long career in software. He gained practical experience in: sake service; designing & maintaining a sake list; sake retail and promotion; and sake pairing. After leaving the bar he worked for a US Sake importer as a Japanese Beverage Specialist handling out of state sales and gained his Educator certification with WSET.

His introduction to the Sake Sommelier Academy came from his Sake Mentor, Marcus Pakiser (Sake Samurai). Subsequently he became a Certified Sake Sommelier and Sake Educator in order to bring the Certified Sake Sommelier program to Food and Beverage workers. He is an experienced coach and invests in the personal development of his students.

Russell operates Deep Dive Sake School to share his knowledge & passion for sake with students!