Honest tasting notes on Japanese sake, from bottles you can order anywhere to rare jizake.
Every bottle here was bought and drunk in Japan, usually over several days rather than a single glass, because sake changes as it sits open — sometimes for the better. A review covers how it smells and tastes cold and warmed, what it did with food, how it moved over a week, and what it does poorly. There is always at least one honest limitation.
Some of these are bottles you can order almost anywhere. Others are seasonal or small-run releases that rarely leave the prefecture they were made in, let alone the country. I say which is which, and I do not pretend a bottle is easy to find when it is not.
Each review also carries an approachability score — how hard the bottle is for someone new to sake, which is a separate question from whether it is good.
Oct 5, 2026
A tasting review of Amabuki Junmai Omachi Hiyaoroshi, brewed with cosmos flower yeast in Miyaki, Saga. Quiet in aroma, drier than expected, and best understood next to Shichida's Omachi hiyaoroshi.
Sep 30, 2026
A tasting review of Shichida Junmai Omachi Hiyaoroshi from Tenzan Shuzo in Saga. Omachi rice polished only to 75%, rested through summer, full of flavor yet surprisingly clean.
Sep 15, 2026
A tasting review of Nichi Nichi Yamadanishiki from Nichinichi Brewery in Fushimi, Kyoto. Low in alcohol, gently sparkling, and quietly full of umami.
Sep 7, 2026
A tasting review of Nabeshima Summer Moon, a seasonal ginjo from Fukuchiyo Shuzo in Saga. Light, clean, and built for the dinner table rather than the aroma glass.
Aug 31, 2026
A review of Senkin Senko-Hanabi 2026, a seasonal sake from Tochigi enjoyed at a Kumamoto izakaya, and why its lingering, fading finish makes the name feel just right.
Aug 21, 2026
A side-by-side tasting of two Mii no Kotobuki sakes from Tachiarai, Fukuoka: the elegant, fruity Junmai Daiginjo Fuku and the sharp, dry Junmai Ginjo +14, paired with cured ham.
Aug 1, 2026
A hands-on Kaze no Mori Akitsuho 657 review, following its fruit, rice-driven umami, natural fizz, and flavor changes from opening day to one week later.
Jul 30, 2026
A quick sake tasting at Sumiyoshi Shuhan inside Hakata Station: four Kyushu junmai daiginjo, a wooden masu, mentaiko with mozzarella, and thirty minutes before the shinkansen.
Jul 28, 2026
Two Nabeshima Junmai Ginjo—Akaiwa Omachi and Yamadanishiki—tasted side by side to compare aroma, texture, finish, and food pairing.
Jul 12, 2026
How a bottle I kept meeting at my local sake bar led me to Matsui Shuzo's Kagura Ruri in Kyoto — an unfiltered, undiluted junmai that went on to win a trophy at IWC 2026.
Jul 5, 2026
A personal introduction to Nabeshima sake from Fukuchiyo Shuzo in Kashima, Saga — the bottle that changed my mind about nihonshu and started The Sake Encounter.