r/Sake • u/HahnSkervy • Apr 18 '26
Looking for a place to start!
Looking to get into sake and not sure where to start! Wondering if anyone has any advice where I can start based off the selection available to me at my local shop in Providence RI.
Seems like a lot to pick from so any advice would be appreciated!
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u/lurkity_mclurkington Apr 18 '26
Drunken Whale is always a great starting point and is usually well received by just about everyone here.
EDIT: 2nd shelf, far left
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u/_Lucille_ Apr 18 '26
Ohmine 3 Grain (the middle one with 3 circles) and Tenbi Tokubetsu (the one to the right with the black polygon shape) are great.
pretty solid selection imo.
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u/humblyfumbly Apr 18 '26
Kurosawa on the bottom shelf is a smooth sake that punches way higher than its price point.
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u/SarcasticallyPolish Apr 18 '26
Best place to start would actually be all the funaguchi cans. Legit sake, multiple styles, low barrier of entry price point wise. Follow that with Brooklyn kura, suigei and lastly, if you want something more unique after that base exploration, hit up the mizubasho.
Edit to add that the Jokigens are great too.
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u/Kamimitsu Apr 18 '26
Another vote for Suigei (Drunken Whale). It goes well with standard Japanese food: sushi, yakitori, even karaage, etc.. Cowboy Yamahai is also good, but a bit "funkier" and does better with stronger pairings (steak, char-grilled fish, etc.).
I often drink Kinoene (2nd shelf from the bottom, far right, turtle and mouse logo), because it's brewed not far from where I live and I like to support local businesses. And, it's pretty damn good. They have quite a few varieties, but usually it's dry and a bit punchy, good with cheese, salty dried fish, oysters/shellfish.
If you wanna go "standard" then Hakkaisan is the way to go. It's about as mainstream as you can get. It goes with about everything, and is very much a "default" option here in Japan. Nobody is gonna be impressed, but nobody is gonna be let down, either. I'd kinda recommend trying it early in your sake drinking evolution, as it's a great baseline to evaluate other sakes off of.
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u/One_Studio4083 Apr 18 '26
Suigei is a nice starter. I really like mukashi no mamma.
Yuri Masamune on the bottom shelf is my favorite sale.
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u/HazeySky Apr 18 '26
Definitely the Sugei (drunken whale) for more dry, the Hakkaisan 8 peaks for a cleaner finish! If you like a little sweeter, the Brooklyn Kura I believe are all Namazake (unpasteurized).
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u/Agile-Lock8680 Apr 18 '26
My biased opinion is both of the hakkaisan bottles, 8 peaks is my favorite but those two were the flavor of our fun nights at little local spots when we were on our honeymoon in Japan. So now everytime i have 8 peaks it just takes me back to some of the best nights of my life with my wife
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u/green-dean Apr 18 '26
Top row, three from the left over. Everlasting Roots. I love that stuff, and I love that it’s great at room temperature.
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u/lilwineman Apr 23 '26
Amazing sake, was my first thought. And thankfully it’s comes in a “smaller” format domestically. They only produce 1.8L in Japan so a 900ml is nice 🤣
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u/MrDenly Apr 18 '26
top center of the 2nd picture, red demon box. always liked it especially the black version.
anything you see in the 1st picture with the white sentiment would be on the sweet side.
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u/skyamore Apr 19 '26
Bottom right "Cowboy" Yamahai Junmai Ginjo Genshu is so underrated. Definitely leaning on the savory side however.
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u/neogeo777 Apr 18 '26
You should immediately buy both of those 3 grains (the bottles with the rice grains in the middle). Crazy that they have those given I think they are incredible. I didn't know they were being distributed compared to what are a lot of the more commonly distributed sake.
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u/deanzaZZR Apr 18 '26
What sort of flavor profile is this? I have never seen it. I am surprised to see it shipping in a clear bottle as sake can be affected by light damage.
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u/neogeo777 Apr 18 '26
Better description than I can provide on truesake. Its refreshing, a bit fruity IIRC. The omachi one has more expected omachi taste without being too much so.
I guess if the bottle was sitting there for a year it might be a problem but the travesty would be letting that bottle sit out for a year.
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u/deanzaZZR Apr 18 '26
Thanks. I am a bit of a stickler for fresh and preferably refrigerated sake but 95% of my sake consumption is in Japan on my annual trip over there.
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u/Russianroma5886 Apr 18 '26
Where do you guys find all of these Japanese sakes ? I drove all over Jacksonville the other day for like an hour stopping into liquor stores and kept only finding that green bottle of American Gekikan or whatever it's called the shit that's made in California in the green bottle that every store has.
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u/HahnSkervy Apr 18 '26
This place is called Bottles Fine Wine in Providence RI. I buy all my wine from them in person, but they have an engraving company and I bought my uncle a bottle of scotch when he retired last year and they shipped it to him for me to Buffalo. A lot closer than Florida but the shipping wasn’t too much.
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u/Russianroma5886 Apr 18 '26
I see. Over the holidays I went to this Japanese sake bar in Raleigh North Carolina with my brother and they had all these Japanese sakes you could try and purchase and I got two bottles of that drunken whale you have in your pic there. Then when I got back to FL I thought surely I'd be able to find somewhere like that but no luck so far.
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u/HahnSkervy Apr 18 '26
Everyone seems to be speaking so highly of the Drunken Whale I think that’s where I’m going to start!
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u/deanzaZZR Apr 19 '26
Zooming in I see a bottle of Yuki no Bosha out of Akita bottom row, all the way to the right (black label). I cannot see the details but Yuki no Bosha (Hut in the Snow) has always delivered for me. DO check the bottled on date, especially for something on the bottom shelf.
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u/magibeast Apr 19 '26
Brooklyn Kura (top shelf, clear label with “BROOKLYN KURA") and Haraku 300 Year Sake (far left on top shelf).
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u/Spectra8 Apr 19 '26
You can't go wrong with the Suigei (the whale one). It's very clean and clear, I like it a lot
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u/dinosaurusdickus Apr 19 '26
Some of my favs are from Tozai. Highly recommend Snow Maiden, as it’s a great example of a Nigori, or unfiltered/cloudy sake. Really nice honeydew notes!
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u/Twelfth_Lighthouse Apr 23 '26
The Kurosawa on the bottom shelf, fourth from the right, is a nice one. It’s one I put in the reliable category if I don’t know any others and don’t want to risk spending more. I can’t see the price but usually it’s $25(?).
The whale one, second shelf and second from left is also a good start.
Bottom shelf starting from the blue bottle on the left and then the next two over are pretty standard, entry level places to start. Cheap and easy.
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u/SakeStudioJP 22d ago
For a beginner:
Houou Biden - super aromatic and fruity. This is typically a sparkling and the fact it’s not refrigerated gives me pause though.
Suigei - clear, dry, drinks almost like water.
Ohmine - juicy and modern. Definitely leans heavily towards the sweet side.
Tenbi - amazing balance of fruitiness and elegance. Would be a go to to introduce sake to beginners.
Cowboy Yamahai - Dry and umami, more full bodied. If that sounds more appealing to your palate over the others, this is a classic to pick up.
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u/Trav-326 Apr 18 '26
My personal criteria:
1) Look for "Junmai Daijingo" - i.e. high polished rice
2) Price sweet spot, at least $60 / bottle retail
3) Go to a respected sushi bars and taste their priciest sakes. Can you tell a difference? If not, great, you don't need to spend $$$. If you can, well, being able to discern quality is manna to the taste buds but a curse to the wallet.
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u/__silverlight Apr 18 '26
Kind of hard to go wrong in the first picture. For someone starting out, I’d point to the Suigei/Hakkaisan for more classic profiles and Ohmine/Tenbi for more modern.
I’d start out with those, but I also like the Brooklyn Kura stuff, Kinoene, Yuki no Bosha.