Sake by Season
Seasonal Sake
Sake follows the year. Spring-pressed sake rests through summer and returns as autumn hiyaoroshi; winter brings the freshly pressed shiboritate and the season’s new sake. Pick a season to see the specific brands released in that window — each with a tasting reason and a source, and with the ones you can buy abroad flagged.
Hiyaoroshi（ひやおろし）
September–November · 13 brands · 6 buyable abroad
Summer Sake（夏酒）
May–August · 9 brands · 3 buyable abroad
IN SEASON NOW
Shiboritate（しぼりたて）
December–February · 8 brands · 4 buyable abroad
Kan-zukuri (Winter Brewing)（寒造り）
January–February · 7 brands · 1 buyable abroad
Spring Sake（春酒）
March–May · 7 brands · 4 buyable abroad
Shinshu (New Sake)（新酒）
December–March · 7 brands · 4 buyable abroad
Want the why behind the calendar? Read the sake brewing calendar — when sake is made and why each season tastes the way it does.
Keep ReadingRelated guides.
DEEP DIVE
The Sake Brewing Calendar
When sake is made and why winter — plus the seasonal releases shiboritate, hiyaoroshi, and akiagari, month by month.
Read ESSENTIALThe 8 Sake Types, Explained
From Junmai to Daiginjo — every grade decoded in plain English.
Read EXPLORESake Regions of Japan
A tour of Japan's brewing heartlands and what makes each unique.
Read DEEP DIVEHow Sake Is Made
Koji, rice polishing, fermentation — the full brewing process.
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