FAQ: Keeping Sake

How long can I keep sake once it is opened?

We get asked this often: and the truth is that it depends on the type of sake.

Light and heat are the number one enemies! Once opened keep cold and in the dark (even fridge light is bad!) and stoppered: for highly aromatic sake you’ll notice the quality difference after a few days (but it’ll still be drinkable).

For less aromatic (but still high-end) you can keep it longer, maybe a week, maybe more. For junmai, honjozo or futsushu you might be able to keep it up to a month.

Added alcohol sake (non-junmai styles) has a better shelf life than junmai.

And sometimes we are asked about the use of vacuum stoppers.

They can help to keep it fresh, BUT please note that if you use vacuum stoppers for highly aromatic sake you can suck the aroma out so it’s not advisable.

Shirley Booth – President & Advised by Oliver Hilton Johnson of Tengu Sake