Is this good sake?

8 comments

1. I thought i found it but nope. It’s from Seiriki brewery in Fukuoka, but not part of their current lineup. May be a special edition for Taiwan/Hong Kong, but that’s just a guess.

   Edit: “junkin-iri” might indicate there’s gold flakes in the sake. It’s probably a honjozo in terms of quality level.

2. A honjozo is a fairly humble classification for sake, an everyday kind of sake. Sake should ideally be consumed within about 6 months of production, so if this is years old I would just crack it and drink it. It might still be tasty, it might have gone off a little.

3. The label says “Seisyu” so it is not pure sake(Nihon-syu).

   There is a law that says only sake made with Japanese rice and koji is called “Nihon-syu”.

4. This is not something to let sit and age. If you’ve had it for some years, and if it’s been left in a warm and bright space, it may not be so good. Definitely one to drink fresh. Best advice is to open it and taste. You may find it would be better chilled, as that could help to mask any unpleasant flavours it may have developed. Plus, a lot of sake styles are best chilled.

5. Family mart?

6. A great bottle of sake is one that you’ve shared with a table full of family and friends, one that you’ve broken open to celebrate good tidings, that, after the meal is done and cleared away, and the bottle is a bit more empty than when you started, that someone says, “now, that was a great time!”. Now, that is a great bottle of sake. May yours be equally fine! Kampai! Cat

7. Whether it was or not doesn’t realy matter anymore. It’s not going to be good after sitting around for years.

8. Sake is best fresh! Think of it more like juice, less like vodka.

   If it’s old it may not taste super great, but would be decent to cook with. Use it to thin down white miso into a sauce, and brush it on grilled veggies, then broil. Yum.