Sweet sakes have a smooth, mellow flavor that makes them easy to drink and popular among people who enjoy cocktails and wine. However, it's surprisingly difficult to find actual sweet sakes on the market. Among those you can find, we tested to find what was the most delicious.
We searched Japanese e-commerce sites (such as Amazon, Rakuten, and Kakaku.com) for the best sweet sakes, chose the 9 most popular products, tested them along with three sake specialists, then rated each sake's deliciousness by analyzing its level of sweetness and the strength of its aroma and flavor. Lastly, we compiled our results into a buying guide about and list of the best sweet sakes available online with extra tips from expert Sandra Gwee.
If you're not a newcomer to the world of sake, feel free to skip ahead to the ranking. For those of you that just happened to click on this or are curious to learn more about Japanese sake, we thought we'd give you a rundown of what exactly sweet sake is.
Sake is generally thought of in two types of flavor: dry and sweet. Sweet sakes have a higher sugar content. While sake has official classifications such as junmai-shu and junmai ginjo, there's no official "dry" or "sweet" rating. Sake makers came up with this classification themselves to help customers better envision what their wares would taste like.
Because of this, there are those who may find sweet sakes to taste dry or vice versa. Keep this in mind when reading our ranking; after all, your own taste buds are ultimately the deciding factor.
Check out the link below for more info on dry sake!
According to sake expert, Sandra Gwee, whom we'll introduce later, the taste is one of the most important reasons to choose a sweet sake. Sweetness is always experienced first before other flavors and it's especially good to focus on for most beginners new to sake and who don't understand the flavors of sake yet.
Buying a sweet sake first is a great choice when starting to learn about the drink. Also, most drinkers who choose sweet sakes tend to have a sweet tooth, liking drinks such as Moscato, sparkling wine, Umeshu, mixers, or cocktails.
These kinds of drinkers are known as sweet and easy drinkers who always want something sweet in an alcoholic drink where the sweet profile masks the alcohol flavor. So nigori, plum sake, yuzu sake, or carbonated sparkling sakes will fit their palettes most.
The rich, sweet flavor comes from the rice used to create the drink. The flavor of the rice breaks through the acidity of the drink, and, unless you are sensitive to alcohol, you can really enjoy the natural sweetness stemming from this base ingredient.
However, everyone has a different sense of taste and will detect different levels of sweetness, so it's hard to pinpoint exactly what you'd like without first trying out different drinks.
Image | 1 ![]() Kameizumi | 2 ![]() Ozeki | 3 ![]() Murayu Brewery | 4 ![]() Matsuzaki Brewery | 5 ![]() Hanaizumi Brewery | 6 ![]() Iinuma Meijo | 7 ![]() Umenishiki Yamakawa | 8 ![]() Aramasa | 9 ![]() Mukai Brewery |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Junmai Ginjo Unfiltered Sake | Gokujo no Amakuchi | Kuro Junmai Daiginjo Unfiltered Rich and Sweet | Hirotogawa Junmai Ginjo Unfiltered Sake | Roman Junmai Ginjo Sake | Sugata Junmai Ginjo Unfiltered Sake | Umenishiki Junmai Ginjo | Amaneko Shirokoji Shikomi Junmai-shu | Ine Mankai Red Rice Sake |
Features | Has a Refreshing Flavor and a Just Right Profile | Citrusy Flavor and Low Alcohol Content for Light Drinkers | Perfectly Sweet Like Honey | A Mild-Tasting and Faintly Scented Sweet Sake | Has a Good Balance of Sweet and Acidic | A Sake That's More Bitter Than Sweet | A Sweet Sake That Would Taste Better Warmed | Too Acidic to Be A Good Sweet Sake | More of a Rose Wine Than a Sweet Sake |
Price | $33.91 | $10.19 | $87.80 | $32.92 | $37.11 | $57.01 | $33.22 | $67.84 | $30.93 |
Japanese | 亀泉 純米吟醸生原酒 | 大関 極上の甘口 | 村祐 「黒」純米大吟醸 無濾過本生 濃醇甘口 | 松崎酒造店 廣戸川 廣戸川 純米吟醸 無濾過生原酒 | 花泉酒造 ロ万(ろまん) 純米吟醸酒 | 飯沼銘醸 姿 純米吟醸無濾過生原酒 | 梅錦山川 梅錦 純米吟醸 | 新政 亜麻猫 白麹仕込 純米酒 | 向井酒造 伊根満開 赤米酒 |
Classification | Junmai ginjo | Table sake | Junmai Daiginjo | Junmai Ginjo | Junmai ginjo | Junmai Ginjo | Junmai ginjo | Junmai | - |
Sake meter value/acidity | -13 / 1.8 | -50 / 2.3 | - | +2 / 1.4 | 0 / 2.0 | +2 / 1.7 | 0 / 1.8 | -15 / 2.2 | -18 / 6 |
Type of rice | Hattan-nishiki | - | - | Yume no Kaori | Gohyakumangoku, Yume no Kaori, Himenomochi | Omachi | Yamada Nishiki | Akita-shu Komachi | Gohyakumangoku, Kodaimai |
Level of sweetness | Average | Sweet | Very sweet | Average | Average | Average | Average | Average | Very sweet |
Aroma strength | Average | Average | Average | Average | Average | Faint | Average | Faint | Strong |
Flavor strength | Average | Strong | Strong | Average | Average | Average | Average | Light and delicate | Strong |
Overall score | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
Link |
We picked out 9 of the most popular products and tested them for the following: how sweet it was, how strong its aroma was, and how strong its flavor was. Our impressions for each category were then averaged into a final score of deliciousness.
Then, based on how they performed on our tests, we graded and ranked the top 9 sweet sakes available online.
※Japanese prices for the products are given; they’ve merely been converted into USD for easy viewing. Please note that these products were not picked by the collaborating experts, but chosen through extensive research and by combing through customer reviews by our staff at mybest.
24.3 oz.
$33.91
Japanese | 亀泉 純米吟醸生原酒 |
---|---|
Classification | Junmai ginjo |
Sake meter value/acidity | -13 / 1.8 |
Type of rice | Hattan-nishiki |
Level of sweetness | Average |
Aroma strength | Average |
Flavor strength | Average |
Overall score | 4.2 |
24.3 oz.
$10.19
Japanese | 大関 極上の甘口 |
---|---|
Classification | Table sake |
Sake meter value/acidity | -50 / 2.3 |
Type of rice | - |
Level of sweetness | Sweet |
Aroma strength | Average |
Flavor strength | Strong |
Overall score | 4.0 |
24.3 oz.
$87.80
Japanese | 村祐 「黒」純米大吟醸 無濾過本生 濃醇甘口 |
---|---|
Classification | Junmai Daiginjo |
Sake meter value/acidity | - |
Type of rice | - |
Level of sweetness | Very sweet |
Aroma strength | Average |
Flavor strength | Strong |
Overall score | 3.8 |
24.3 oz.
$32.92
Japanese | 松崎酒造店 廣戸川 廣戸川 純米吟醸 無濾過生原酒 |
---|---|
Classification | Junmai Ginjo |
Sake meter value/acidity | +2 / 1.4 |
Type of rice | Yume no Kaori |
Level of sweetness | Average |
Aroma strength | Average |
Flavor strength | Average |
Overall score | 3.5 |
24.3 oz.
$37.11
Japanese | 花泉酒造 ロ万(ろまん) 純米吟醸酒 |
---|---|
Classification | Junmai ginjo |
Sake meter value/acidity | 0 / 2.0 |
Type of rice | Gohyakumangoku, Yume no Kaori, Himenomochi |
Level of sweetness | Average |
Aroma strength | Average |
Flavor strength | Average |
Overall score | 3.3 |
60.9 oz.
$57.01
Japanese | 飯沼銘醸 姿 純米吟醸無濾過生原酒 |
---|---|
Classification | Junmai Ginjo |
Sake meter value/acidity | +2 / 1.7 |
Type of rice | Omachi |
Level of sweetness | Average |
Aroma strength | Faint |
Flavor strength | Average |
Overall score | 3.3 |
60.9 oz.
$33.22
Japanese | 梅錦山川 梅錦 純米吟醸 |
---|---|
Classification | Junmai ginjo |
Sake meter value/acidity | 0 / 1.8 |
Type of rice | Yamada Nishiki |
Level of sweetness | Average |
Aroma strength | Average |
Flavor strength | Average |
Overall score | 2.8 |
24.3 oz.
$67.84
Japanese | 新政 亜麻猫 白麹仕込 純米酒 |
---|---|
Classification | Junmai |
Sake meter value/acidity | -15 / 2.2 |
Type of rice | Akita-shu Komachi |
Level of sweetness | Average |
Aroma strength | Faint |
Flavor strength | Light and delicate |
Overall score | 0.0 |
24.3 oz.
$30.93
Japanese | 向井酒造 伊根満開 赤米酒 |
---|---|
Classification | - |
Sake meter value/acidity | -18 / 6 |
Type of rice | Gohyakumangoku, Kodaimai |
Level of sweetness | Very sweet |
Aroma strength | Strong |
Flavor strength | Strong |
Overall score | 2.5 |
Our sake specialists taste-tested each of the sakes at room temperature. They scored each beverage based on its smell and taste, as well as how easily it went down the throat.
Sake that struck a divine balance between sweet and sour received the highest scores. If a sake is just sweet, then it starts to taste like juice; adding some acidity gives the flavor depth and brings out the essence of the rice.
Here are three big things to look out for when choosing a sweet sake that fits with your flavor profile.
If you're new to the world of sake, you may be wondering what all of those numbers in the table meant. Well, that's the Sake Meter Level (SMV), and it indicates the sugar content in a sake. Anything in the positive numbers is considered dry, and anything in the negative numbers is sweet.
If you're looking for an average sweet sake, look for an SMV between -3.5 and -5.9. Anything below -6.0 is considered super sweet. However, if you get too low in the negative numbers, some people claim it starts to taste dry. Sample different SMVs for yourself and get a feel for what you like.
The words "junmai" and "ginjo" and "daiginjo" have been thrown around a lot in this ranking, but we haven't really explained them, have we? These are some of the 8 different classifications of Japanese sake. What separates them from one another is their main ingredients, method of production, and their ratio of polished rice.
Junmai daiginjo is considered to be the top rank of Japanese sake; it's very expensive and tends to be served only on special occasions. If you're looking for the most affordable sake, we suggest trying junmai-shu or honjozo-shu.
Japan has a huge variety of rice, and each type has its own unique flavor that is brought out best with sake. Most sweet sakes are made with mild Miyama Nishiki (美山錦) or Yamada Nishiki (山田錦) rice. On the other end of the spectrum are varieties like Gohyakuman-goku (五百万石) rice, which has a bit of a bite to it.
By sampling different types of sake and reading the label on the bottle to see what kind of rice it's made with, you can start to get a feel of what each type of rice brings to the beverage.
When pairing sake with food, you need to consider the taste. Since we're talking about sweet sakes, you should match sweet sakes with sweet foods. In the case of rich food, match it with a rich sake; light foods match with Ginjos. These are basic, tried and true pairings.
Perfectly matching the flavors of both food and sake takes skill. The thing about food, especially Japanese food, is that there are layers of elements that have been combined together that people don't really consider since they're just there to enjoy the experience. But it's good to remember that no matter what kind of food you match with Japanese sake it will never really clash.
However, when pairing sake, unless you are a brewer, it can be hard to understand how to match your drinks perfectly.
But when layers of flavors come into play, you really have to have a thorough understanding of both the sake and food you're plating. For me, I go over every detail, especially if I am holding an event where I have a chef prepare the food.
For example, I need to know what the chef is doing for each dish. I also look for how dedicated and how precise the chef is. If they aren't dedicated or aren't precise, then the food won't shine when paired with sake and vice versa.
But having said that, it's also fun to try pairing sake with non-traditional flavors. For example, I have discovered unique ways to introduce Japanese sake to the Australian market by pairing sake with foods you wouldn't normally think of trying sake with. Have you ever tried sake with chocolate or cheese? It's a fun and delicious combination.
Japan loves alcohol just as much as the next person, and that includes us. Here are some other Japanese alcohols we've tried and tested so that you have a better idea of where to start looking.
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