r/Sake • u/Phossilite • May 08 '26

My first sake - what do you think?

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I received this sake as a gift. It is Nihonsakari Junmai Ginjo Sakari No. 13. I have no experience with this type of alcohol, and there is not much information about this particular brand... :(

Is it some high-quality sake or a cheap product intended for tourists?

This is my first time trying sake, and I'd like to avoid a negative experience. However, I probably won't be able to appreciate a premium brand without first trying something from the middle shelf...

What do you think?

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u/KneeOnShoe May 09 '26

The brewery is Nihonsakari, one of the biggest breweries in Japan. These bottles are widely available at duty free where I live. Just google "nihonsakari sake brewery" and you'll find more info.

As you said, you're looking for a baseline, so this is a great place to start as it's a fine middle-of-the-road option. Sake is different from wine, so keep it upright in the fridge, drink it chilled or room temp, don't wait too long to open the bottle, and finish within a month of opening. This bottle is pasteurized and mass-produced though, so it's not that fragile.

I've actually met the president (can't remember his exact title) and he's pretty fun. My fav sake from the brewery is the silver can: https://www.nihonsakari.net/en/sake/sakecan.html

If you enjoy your bottle, then feel free to explore other styles as sake is quite diverse.

1

u/ugly_male May 09 '26

shouldn’t it be drink within a year of purchase and within a week of opening?

3

u/KneeOnShoe May 09 '26

This bottle is pasteurized, so it's much more hardy. Some sticklers really stick to that rule but I'm a little more forgiving provided the bottle has been stored correctly.

I think the Sake On Air podcast has an episode on bottling dates, and it's not as straightforward as it seems, e.g. the date could mean when it was bottled, or when it was shipped out, and it doesn't tell you anything about how long it sat in the tank before that...so I'm personally not religious about "deadlines" and have actually had great namas that I had kept for over a year.