The 7 best sake bottole: value, inexpensive, and delicious Japanese sakes to go with your food [Recommended by a 20-year sake veteran]
However, if you’re a beginner to sake, you might want to try it but have no idea which brand tastes good.
Japanese sake is gradually becoming more popular, isn’t it?
This article is for you.
Self-introduction
Hello, I’m Arafin, a registered dietitian in my 50s who runs nutripreneurblog.
As someone who aims to start a restaurant business in the future, I’d like to introduce some basic sake that is consistently delicious and can be enjoyed like white wine or champagne, along with some scenes of me having a drink in the evening.
I’m a food professional, and I have a lot of experience with drinking at home, having been drinking sake for 20 years, wine for 25 years, beer for 25 years, and shochu for 3 years.
All of the brands are absolutely reliable, so if you see something that interests you, please shop on this site for your own home or as a gift for summer gifts.
You can enjoy sake in a wine glass with Western food like the photo at the beginning!
Japanese sake is more cost-effective than wine
Ever since I started to think that alcohol is delicious, drinking a little bit every night has become my important habit and a pleasure.
You can buy good sake for about 2,000 yen (720 mL).
If you drink 1 cup (180 mL) a day, you can enjoy a good meal for 500 yen.
On the other hand, it will cost about 3,000 yen to find a good wine.
When you think about it, it’s quite cost-effective.
The only choice for sake is Junmai sake (pure rice sake): How to choose cheap, delicious, and great value sake
Sake is broadly classified into Junmai, Ginjo, and Honjozo.
My recommendation is Junmai sake (pure rice sake), which is made only from rice, rice malt, and water.
It has an appealing simple taste that highlights the aroma and umami of the sake rice used as the raw material.
In this article, I will leave aside the complicated topics of sake classification.
Among Junmai sake (pure rice sake) or Junmai Ginjo sake (rice polished to 60% or less fermented at low temperature for a long period of time), I have carefully selected seven sakes that are cheap, consistently delicious, and good value for money.
Our traditioanal New Year’s toso ↓
7 Great Value, Easy-to-Drink Alcoholic Drinks That Go Well With Food
Good Japanese sake enhances good food even more.
Please consider purchasing some as a reward for yourself or as a gift for someone who has helped you.
①光栄菊（光栄菊酒造）/ Koei-kiku (Koei Kiku Sake Brewery)
This is a really delicious sake from Saga Prefecture.
This brewery went out of business in 2006, but made a comeback in 2019, bringing a breath of fresh air to the sake industry.
They have a great lineup of brands, and what they all have in common is a champagne-like gassiness and just the right amount of acidity.
What’s more, their freshness is innovative.
This is a sake that we can confidently recommend to anyone, from sake beginners to advanced drinkers.
Here, I’d like to introduce my top choice from the Koei Kiku lineup, “Snow Crescent”, as well as the equally wonderful ”Anastasia Green”, ”Tsukikage / 月影”, and ”Kibo / 幾望”.
One sip will completely change your image of sake.
If you like wine or champagne, be sure to buy this.
As this is unpasteurized sake, quantities are limited, so please purchase early.
Purchase early from the link below!
②東洋美人（澄川酒造） / Toyo Bijin (Sumikawa Sake Brewery)
Yamaguchi Prefecture has a lot of truly delicious sake.
Sumikawa Sake Brewery, which produces Toyo Bijin, is a long-established sake brewery in Yamaguchi Prefecture that was founded over 100 years ago.
Among their sakes, one that has been loved by many fans for many years is “Toyo Bijin Jundo Ichizu”.
“Toyo Bijin” means oriental beauty, and “Jundo Ichizu” means to live your life solely with sake brewing, no matter what.
Toyobijin is characterized by its exquisite balance of moderate acidity and sweetness, and its overwhelming ease of drinking.
It’s a staple sake that I buy every year.
I’ve included two links below, “Sake Mirai / 酒未来” and “Aiyama / 愛山,” which are made from different types of rice.
Both are reliable and can be recommended with confidence, so if you can’t decide, I recommend buying both bottles and comparing them.
③赤武（赤武酒造）/ Akabu (Akabu Sake Brewery)
Akabu is a sake made by Akabu Sake Brewery in Iwate Prefecture, a long-established brewery founded in 1896.
They have a varied lineup for each season, and the photo below is of a new sake that is released from winter to spring.
This time, we recommend the standard “Akabu Junmai Sake” and “Akabu Junmai Ginjo”, which can be enjoyed in any season.
*Junmai means “pure rice sake”
Akabu is characterized by its harmony of sourness and sweetness, and the umami of rice that permeates your mouth.
Just thinking about it makes me salivate.
④大嶺（大嶺酒造）/ Omine (Omine Sake Brewery)
Omine Sake Brewery in Yamaguchi Prefecture was founded in 1922 during the Edo period.
It lay dormant for a while, but was revived in 2010 after more than 50 years of hiatus.
Hearing stories like this makes you want to give it a try.
Our recommendation is Omine’s standard sake, “Omine junmai Santsubu.”
“Santsubu” means three grains of rice.
As you can see in the photo below, the label design is very cool and simply depicts the three grains of rice that this sake is named after.
we paired it with slightly sweet Japanese sweets!
It’s fruity, but also has a strong rice grain taste.
Be sure to give it a try.
⑤寫樂（宮泉銘醸）/ Syaraku (Miyaizumi Sake Brewery)
Miyaizumi Meishu was founded in 1956 and established in 1964, and currently produces “Sharaku,” one of Tohoku’s leading sake brands.
Sharaku is a sake that is famous throughout Japan, and some people even call it a mythical sake because of its deliciousness.
The photo below shows us having Sharaku with deep-fried summer vegetables at our dinner table.
It was the best, to say the least!
Sharaku is characterized by its rich aroma that makes you think of melon? Apple?
Of course, the taste of rice that spreads in your mouth is also appealing.
In this article, I recommend the classic junmai sake (pure rice sake).
It is a little more expensive than the sakes introduced in this article, but one sip and you’ll understand why it still boasts so many fans and repeat buyers.
Please buy a bottle and immerse yourself in the wonderful taste of Sharaku.
⑥澤屋まつもと（松本酒造）/ Sawaya Matsumoto (Matsumoto Sake Brewery)
Matsumoto Sake Brewery is located in Fushimi, Kyoto Prefecture, one of Japan’s leading sake-producing areas.
Founded in 1791!
This is a sake that I have loved since I was young.
The company structure changed at the end of 2020, but they still make delicious sake with good value for money.
This time we will introduce Sawaya Matsumoto’s “Shuhari / 守破離”.
The meaning of Shuhari is as follows.
“Shu / 守” = Preserving the traditions of Matsumoto Sake Brewery.
“Ha / 破” = Breaking Shu and putting into practice what you have learned elsewhere.
“Ri / 離” = Valuing both Shu and Ha, while breaking away from them to create new territory.
The photo below was taken at my home when I enjoyed Sawaya Matsumoto with some Japanese-style roast beef!
The next photo is Sawaya Matsumoto and two kinds of sashimi!
Sawaya Matsumoto is characterized by its soft texture and fruity, easy-to-drink flavor.
Matsumoto’s white label, “Shuhari Gohyakumangoku / 守破離 500万石”, costs only 1,430 yen, but is of extremely high quality.
The only way to compare the two is to buy both the white and black label.
⑦天美（長州酒造）/ Tenbi (Choshu Sake Brewery)
Yamaguchi Prefecture makes truly delicious sake.
It may be a matter of preference, but three of the seven sakes selected in this article are from Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Choshu Sake Brewery was founded by a company that had no previous connection to sake, when it entered the sake market as a newcomer.
The first master brewer played a major role, and Tenbi, which was released in November 2020, created a huge sensation in its first year due to its lightness and excellent balance.
The photo below shows our dining table: white Tenbi / 天美 (Shiro-Ten) and sashimi.
Next photo below shows our dining table: black Tenbi / 天美 (Kuro-Ten) and vegetable.
With the change in the master brewer in 2023, I thought the taste might have changed, but Tenbi remained more Tenbi than I expected.
So, enjoy this new type of sake that has created a big sensation and will continue to be recommended.
I’ve included links to white Tenbi (Shiro-Ten), Black Tenbi (Kuro-Ten), and the rare seasonal product (first come, first served), Pink Tenbi (Momo-Ten).
Summary
I hope that everyone, from sake beginners to long-time drinkers, can find their favorite brand of sake.
Once you’ve found a favorite among the basic sakes introduced this time, you might want to look for related seasonal products or sakes that only a few people know about.
Finally, one more request:
The sakes introduced this time are all reliable brands, so please do shop from this site for both your home and as gifts for summer gifts and other occasions.
Thank you for reading until the end.
