Unlock Your Sake’s Potential, with the Right Glass

As with many of the world’s most sophisticated beverages, sake is best enjoyed from a glass. Likewise, the offerings of SAKE HUNDRED truly come into their own when imbibed from a wine glass.

The wine glass, in its purposeful design, brings out the best in sake. It highlights specific characteristics depending on numerous factors, from the size of the bowl to the fill level. Even the shape of the rim influences mouthfeel. For each sake on the market, there is a perfect vessel.

With that in mind, at SAKE HUNDRED we’ve worked closely with experts to determine the ideal drinking vessel for each of the sake labels we offer:

Byakko — A riesling glass perfectly complements this exquisitely aromatic sake

Our flagship sake, Byakko embodies the highest ideals of quality the sake world has to offer. Byakko has a purity uncomplicated by imperfections and features a silky mouthfeel, unrivaled clarity and flavors that expertly balance rich umami with an elegant sweetness.

Byakko’s enchanting aroma encapsulates its supreme quality, bringing alluring hints of lily flowers and stone fruits like lychee, pears and white peach.

The riesling glass is Byakko’s perfect home, given that the drink shares many characteristics with regal German riesling white wines — after which the glass itself is named.

The riesling’s iconic shape concentrates Byakko’s signature aroma, while the rim of its gently tapered profile brings the drink directly into contact with the tongue, emphasizing its delicate and refined flavor profile.

Shirin — A chardonnay glass brings forward the sweet scent of oak

Shirin, made from rice polished to 18%, is stored in mizunara Japanese oak barrels prior to bottling. This rare oak lends Shirin a one-of-a-kind aroma, creamy mouthfeel and an eye-opening yet pleasant acidity.

The key feature of this peerless brew, however, is subtlety. Its intriguing oak aroma announces itself only to those who seek it, coming forward with a swirling of the glass and contemplative drinking. Owing to these enigmatic features, an oaked chardonnay glass serves as the perfect vessel for enjoying Shirin.

Shirin, in fact, shares many characteristics with old-world oaked chardonnays, and thus enjoys the same benefits the oaked chardonnay glass bestows on its namesake. The large bowl and gradual taper of the glass trap and enhance Shirin’s subtle oak aromas, while the wide mouth of the vessel brings the Shirin in contact across the palate for a heavenly balance of fruity and acidic, smokey and creamy.

Amairo — A Sauternes glass unlocks dessert sake’s hidden potential

Rich and decadent with a honeyed sweetness that melts in the mouth and an acidity betraying its sake heritage, Amairo distinguishes itself as a new class of beverage entirely — Dessert sake.

Sweet without being saccharine, rich yet elegant, complex and profound, Amairo is substantial enough to be enjoyed on its own even as it pairs exquisitely with rich dishes and desserts.

One of the great sweet wines of the world, Sauternes resembles Amairo in many ways. Likewise, the Sauternes glass serves as the ideal vessel to bring forward Amairo’s deep umami, pleasant tartness and decadent sweetness.

The Sauternes glass truly unlocks the potential of this dazzling dessert sake. Amairo’s underlying tartness serves to balance its bold sweetness, yet the Sauternes glass serves to bolster these acidic notes and achieve a profound harmony of flavors. The rim of the glass further directs its contents into a thin stream, striking the palate with intense directness that keeps the flavors pronounced.

Gengai — A pinot noir glass elevates this complex aroma

One of the sake world’s more miraculous stories, Gengai began its life as a simple sake precursor that, against all odds, survived the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. Twenty years later, brewers opened long-stored tanks to find their contents had developed into this bold and complex sake boasting a perfect balance of sweet, umami, bitter and tart flavors.

Long aging lends Gengai a bold yet nuanced aroma with notes of caramel, bitter chocolate, dried fruits and Asian spices. A swirl of the glass releases additional acidity, minerality and a punchy umami.

This remarkable aged sake benefits from a glass purpose-built to elevate the deep, layered aromas of mature drinks. The pinot noir glass, designed for aged wines, is thus a natural match for Gengai.

Larger than a chardonnay glass, the pinot noir glass holds firm to aroma, allowing complexities to intermingle and intensify before wafting from the rim. Aged wines and sake are thus further enriched by this iconic large-bellied, tapered vessel.

Additionally, the vessel’s shape directs the flow of the drink across the tip of the tongue and on into the back of the mouth, helping to balance the flavors of sweet, tart, bitter and umami on the taste buds.

With the perfect glass, an indelible experience

Pairing the ideal glass to each SAKE HUNDRED label ensures the highest quality drinking experience and unlocks each beverage’s true potential.

Along with serving temperature and food pairing, the choice of drinking vessel greatly influences each sake experience. We invite you to try any of our SAKE HUNDRED labels with their recommended glass for the ultimate in sake luxury.

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