STORING SAKE

Much like wine sake is relatively delicate and how you store sake will affect the way it tastes in the glass. Different storage situations will lead to different tastes so it’s important to understand the effect in each situation.

STORAGE CONDITIONS

How you store sake essentially depends on how it was made. The technique used dictates the stability and robustness of the drink and can be broken down into two basic categories.

PASTEURISED SAKE (HIIRE): The pasteurisation process stabilises sake and creates a very resilient drink. These types of sake can be stored at room temperature for quite a while as long as it is away from direct sunlight and any heat sources.

UNPASTEURISED SAKE (NAMA): The majority of Namazake (Nama sake) is best stored at cool temperatures ideally a refrigerator. These fresher styles of sake are famous for their lively freshness and by not keeping them cool you run the risk of losing that character by the time you open them up.

DRINK OR AGE?

A majority of sake made today is designed to be consumed at a young age, however ageing bottles of sake can be very rewarding. The ability to age will come down to how the sake was made and its general make up. Sake that are made in the traditional techniques of Kimoto or Yamahai often lend themselves to being great candidates for ageability. Also sake that are Junmai, have a higher amino acid content and more acidic structure tend to have great ageing potential. 

Keep in mind that this is a complex subject and that it often comes down to the product itself, storage conditions and personal taste. The best way to understand this is from personal experience and partaking in some sake ageing for yourself.

OPEN BOTTLES

One of the biggest questions we get at Black Market Sake is “how long will the bottle last once it’s open?”. There is not standard answer in regards to the drinking window of an open bottle of sake. Even the producers themselves will tell you that it will often come down to what you are looking for in the drink. As a general rule you can be confident in the knowledge that sake does not oxidise in the same way as wine does. Air is not so much the enemy of sake as it is the deliverer of a taste and aromatic progression. The effect of oxygen on the sake is a much, much slower affect than on wine for example. As time goes on the aromatic character in the sake slowly diminishes and the sake itself will start to taste richer over time. How fast this happens depends essentially on how ‘delicate’ the sake is in style. As an example the highly polished and fragrant Junmai Daiginjo & Junmai Ginjo styles will tend to have a shorter window of drinking around 2 - 4 weeks once opened (this is with the assumption that the open bottle is kept in the fridge). Sake that is more robust in nature (Kimoto & Yamahai as examples) will last much longer anywhere from 4 - 10 or 12 weeks open again if kept in the refrigerator. At Black Market Sake we list ‘bottle open’ times for each and every product to assist you in making easier and better drinking decisions.