Honest tasting notes on Japanese sake, from bottles you can order anywhere to rare jizake.
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 Yamada Nishiki—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.