Fashionably Light
Although the average ABV of sake is around 16% and can climb up to 21% (anything exceeding this is categorised as a different beverage legally in Japan), there’s a recent trend of makers brewing lower-alcohol versions, relatively speaking. As brewing skill and know-how advance, makers have been able to create these while still keeping structure, balance, and drinkability. This can only be a positive move as sake has the potential to appeal to a wider audience. Here are some of the best available in Japan right now.
LABEL - TASOGARE ORANGE
MAKER - KOUEIGIKU SHUZO - SAGA
SPEC - ABV 13% / Saga-no-Hana & Reiho rice milled to 70%
This is one of the newest breweries in Japan since 2019 with Katsuaki Yamamoto at the helm who made his mark with the Kikutaka brand at Fujichi Shuzo in Aichi. One clear difference now is that, so far, he’s only released low-alcohol versions (14% and under). Taso Orange is a light yet complex sake with notes of nutmeg, star anise, sultanas, and brandy butter. It’s made with a rare yeast strain (number 8 whose origins are unknown but believed to be a mutant strain of number 6) and a blend of locally grown Saga-no-hana & Reiho rice varieties polished to 70%.
BUY HERE IN JAPAN:
https://isego.net/english/
LABEL - KAZE NO MORI ALPHA TYPE 1
MAKER - YUCHO SHUZO - NARA
SPEC - ABV 12% / Akitsuho rice milled to 65%
Yucho are known for their fresh and spritzy sake that pop on opening. This is all thanks to the current owner, Chobei Yamamoto, who developed a bottling machine where the spout moves with the liquid to ensure effervescence isn’t lost. Alpha is their experimental range and the concept behind TYPE 1 is to appeal to most people with a light, easy-drinking sake. This is fresh, fruity, and vibrant—an approachable, gateway sake. With notes of pear drops and aniseed, it has a light spritz and is perfect as an aperitif. Serve chilled and keep on ice.
BUY HERE IN JAPAN:
https://www.imaday.jp/c/nihonsyu/1392
LABEL - MIMUROSUGI DIO ABITA
MAKER - IMANISHI SHUZO - NARA
SPEC - ABV 13% / Yamada-Nishiki rice milled to 65%
Imanishi brewery located in Miwa, is home to the oldest shrine in Japan, the Ookami Shrine, where the god of sake resides, and the Kasuga Shrine, where the oldest master brewer in Japan is enshrined. Meaning “God lives” in Italian, Dio Abita borrows the subterranean water—known as God's water—of nearby Mount Miwa. Made with Yamada Nishiki rice and grown by local farmer friends, this is fruity and juicy with a voluptuous body. It has rich sweetness and umami with notes of cooked apple and a slight woodiness, and finishes with a clean acidity.
BUY HERE IN JAPAN:
https://www.imaday.jp/c/nihonsyu/1779
TSUCHIDA 12
TSUCHIDA SHUZO - GUNMA
ABV 12% / Asahi-no-Yume (Gunma) / Yeast No. 6
Quality intensity, umami, and acidity for a low alcohol version, and it only gets better when warmed up. Try 60 degrees Celsius and then enjoy it as it slowly drops to room temperature. Notes of fresh cream and lime, red plum, orange, and tangerine, this is medium dry on the palate. The secret to this sake is that most of the rice is barely polished, and the use of white koji instead of the standard yellow brings out a touch of green apple to hold it together.
BUY HERE IN JAPAN:
https://www.imaday.jp/c/nihonsyu/gd12300
LABEL - MIRACLE ROSE
MAKER - MIYAKO BIJIN - HYOGO
SPEC - ABV 9% / Gohyaku-Mangoku milled rice to 70%
Kunihiro Yamauchi, the head brewer on Awaji island, brews bold, punchy, and complex sake that only gets better with age. Miracle Rose still retains some of that complexity while remaining approachable. It feels like a salad dressing, a carrot râpée or a tropical fruit juice, and it can definitely serve as a playful tool in a pairing dinner. It has guava and mango on the nose followed by sweet and sour notes on the palate, which include dried fig, raisins, caramel and vinegar—not normally what you want in a drink, but it works here.
BUY HERE IN JAPAN:
https://ajinomachidaya.stores.jp/
