There’s a popular site where anyone can upload a picture of a given sake they’ve drunk and leave a review: saketime.jp. We aren’t affiliated with the site, but we’ve used it as a reference many times when purchasing bottles or finding new brands. Today, we would like to share with you the top 10 brands (https://www.saketime.jp/ranking/) as rated on Saketime and give you some information about them! Currently, ranks 4, 5, and 6 are tied in their ratings, but we’ve kept them numbered for clarity. To avoid clutter, we’re only linking the first three directly.
1. Juyondai — 十四代
Hailing from Yamagata, Juyondai — “fourteen generations” — is somewhat of an unchallenged king of sake. Bottles often cost well over 10,000 yen, and are known for being full of rich, fruity, delicious, clean flavors. You’ll often see empty bottles lined up in or outside of izakaya as a bit of a brag: “we serve Juyondai.”
2. Hinotori — 陽乃鳥
This brand, “Sun Bird,” comes from Aramasa Brewery in Akita. It’s praised for its punchy, sweet, acidic, and fruity flavors; Saketime makes mention of mango and pineapple specifically. It’s brewed using the kimoto method and is aged in mizunara (also known as “Mongolian oak”) barrels for one year before bottling.
3. Shinshukirei — 信州亀齢
The first word, “shinshu,” refers to a historical province that once encompassed modern-day Nagano, where this brand’s maker, Okazaki Brewery, is located. The second word here, “kirei,” literally means “turtle age,” referring to the longevity of a turtle. As for the flavor, the brand is known for quite a modern, fruity, rich flavor. Reviewers mention notes like melon, apple, and Muscat grapes.
4. Jikon — 而今
“Hereafter” is the literal translation of this sake from Kiyamasa brewery in Mie. Despite only being around for 20 years, it’s immensely popular. According to reviews, it’s juicy, fruity, and rich, with notes like melon, pineapple, and apple. Much like Juyondai, izakaya will often have Jikon bottles on display, empty or otherwise, to show off their quality.
5. No. 6
Funny enough, No. 6 is number 5 on the list and is made by Aramasa brewery, the same brewery that produces Hinotori. No. 6 refers to No. 6 yeast, and Saketime describes this sake as having a flavor profile closer to white wine than traditional sake, with notes like peach and strawberry.
6. Kinsuzume — 金雀
This is literally “Gold Sparrow,” brewed by Horie brewery in Yamaguchi. According to Saketime, it’s won a large number of awards and can be quite difficult to get your hands on as demand seems to outrun supply. Reviews describe it as having a gentle fruity sweetness and an overall mellow experience. Many folks call it refreshing.
7. Denshogiku — 電照菊
The highest rated brand from Chiba, this is translated as “electric-lit chrysanthemum.” This is an actual term referring to chrysanthemums that are grown under artificial light in order to delay their blooming so that they can be sold year-round. The brewery, Kankiku, releases it once a year as a nama offering, and reviews say it’s like drinking champagne and apricots!
8. Ubusuna — 産土
Despite having only been around since 2022, Ubusuna from Hananoka brewery in Kumamoto is number 8 on the list. According to Saketime, the label design is meant to represent the microorganisms of the local soil used to grow the rice. After all, the name means “birth soil” or, more naturally, “birthplace.” Reviews say that it has a lovely sour punch to it and that it tastes like citruses, apples, and grapes!
9. Miyakanbai — 宮寒梅
Kanbai brewery is located in Miyagi, which is one of the areas of northern Honshu that was affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. According to Saketime, the brewery was completely destroyed and didn’t reopen for another two years. When they did, they decided to brew only junmai sake. According to the reviews, the flavors of their bottles tend to be quite rich and deep, with fruity, sour notes all around.
10. Hanaabi — 花陽浴
The number one brand from Saitama! This comes from Nanyo brewery. Hanaabi literally means “flower sunbathe,” and their bottles tend to have a distinct pineapple note to them. Plus, the labels are oh so shiny and pretty!
link rel="stylesheet" href="https://use.typekit.net/cxt8und.css"
