Skip to content
Guida

Akari Junmai Daiginjo Hatsuakari, 720ml

Yamada Nishiki milled to 40%, boxed and ready to hand over

¥8,800tax included≈ $59

Regular

灯 純米大吟醸 初灯 720ml

In stock

Where should we send it?

Quantity
1

Apple Pay and Google Pay accepted

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • JCB
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay

Payment is handled by Stripe. Your card number never reaches us.

Akari Junmai Daiginjo Hatsuakari, 720ml

¥8,800

Arrives as early as Mon 28 Sept

Shipping ¥990 to most of Japan

  • A Japanese addressYes
  • Your hotel in JapanYes
  • OverseasIn preparation

We can't ship alcohol overseas yet; the export licence is in progress. Items without alcohol can be sent abroad today.

See shipping cost and timing

Shipping by zone: Anywhere in Japan ¥990 · Domestic shipping is free on orders over ¥15,000.

Shipped direct from the brewery, Mon–Thu only

You can choose a delivery date and time slot (Japanese addresses only)

The sale of alcohol to persons under 20 is prohibited by law in Japan.

What is it?

A junmai daiginjo from Akari Shuzo in Iga, Mie Prefecture. Hyogo-grown Yamada Nishiki rice is milled to 40% of its original size, then fermented for 28 days at around 10°C with groundwater from the Iga basin. It arrives in its white presentation box, ready to give as it is.

Good for

  • Weddings, promotions, shop openings: anything you sign a card for
  • For someone who already drinks sake and will notice the difference
  • Business dinners and hostess gifts where the price band matters
  • For a white-wine drinker who has never chosen a sake themselves

What does it taste like?

  • Aroma: pear and white blossom, clearer ten minutes after opening than straight from the cap
  • Palate: sweet on entry, tightened mid-palate by acidity, and short on the finish so it stays out of the food's way
  • A thin seam of cooked-rice sweetness runs underneath, the junmai backbone
  • Finish runs about six seconds; colder makes it shorter, room temperature stretches it

What's the specification?

Akari Junmai Daiginjo Hatsuakari, 720ml — What's the specification?
ClassificationJunmai Daiginjo
RiceYamada Nishiki (grown in Hyogo)
Polishing ratio40%lower means more grain milled away
Sake meter value+2slightly dry
Acidity1.31.4 is typical
Alcohol15.5%
Volume720ml
Serve atChilled, Room temperature
RegionIga, Mie Prefecture
BreweryAkari Shuzo
ProcessPasteurised once, free-run middle cut

How does this compare with our other sake?

Akari Junmai Daiginjo Hatsuakari, 720ml — How does this compare with our other sake?
SpecAkari Junmai Daiginjo Hatsuakari, 720ml (this page)Akari Nigori Yukiakari, 720mlAkari Junmai Hibiakari, 720mlHoshinami Awaboshi Sparkling, 300ml
Price, tax included¥8,800¥3,300¥2,860¥2,200
ClassificationJunmai DaiginjoJunmai NigoriJunmaiJunmai sparkling, bottle-fermented
RiceYamada Nishiki (grown in Hyogo)Kaminoho (grown in Mie)Kaminoho (grown in Mie)Gohyakumangoku (grown in Niigata)
Polishing ratio40%60%60%60%
Sake meter value+2-8+4-30
Acidity1.31.71.63.4
Alcohol15.5%14%15%12%
Volume720ml720ml720ml300ml
Serve atChilled, Room temperatureChilled, On the rocksChilled, Room temperature, WarmedChilled
RegionIga, Mie PrefectureIga, Mie PrefectureIga, Mie PrefectureMinamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture
BreweryAkari ShuzoAkari ShuzoAkari ShuzoHoshinami Shuzo
ProcessPasteurised once, free-run middle cutCoarse-strained, pasteurised oncePasteurised onceSecond fermentation in bottle, unfiltered
AvailabilityIn stockIn stockIn stockIn stock

How do you drink it?

  • 01

    Serve at 10–12°C: five minutes out of the fridge, not straight from it

  • 02

    Use a wide wine glass; a small sake cup keeps the aroma trapped

  • 03

    Pairs with sashimi, grilled white fish, prosciutto and fresh goat cheese

  • 04

    Once opened, keep refrigerated and drink within 7–10 days; it rounds out around day three

The brewing hall at Akari Shuzo: a row of fermentation tanks and the wooden stair beside them

The maker

About the maker

Brewing at Akari Shuzo starts in November and ends in March. Hatsuakari, literally the first light, is the first tank they press each season: a single 1,800-litre batch, no more. Their toji, Mr. Shibahara, says the first tank tells him how hard the water is that winter.

From the person who chose it

Pressing is done in a wooden box press, and only the free-run middle portion (the nakadori, which falls before any pressure is applied) is bottled under this label. One tank yields around 900 bottles. They ship in February, and when the bottles are gone, that vintage is finished.

— Gate Japan team, Guida

Read about this brewery

Can it be sent as a gift?

A gift box wrapped with a noshi paper band showing the occasion inscription

A white presentation box holding the bottle and a bilingual tasting card. Noshi paper and a message card are free, and the inscription is picked from a list on this page; a gift box or furoshiki costs extra. There's no invoice in the box, and nothing in it shows the price.

Noshi is the paper slip that traditionally accompanies a gift in Japan. Outer noshi goes over the wrapping, so the occasion is visible at a glance. Inner noshi goes under it, for a more understated gift, and is the usual choice for anything shipped.

Outer noshi
Inner noshiWrapping paper
  • Noshi, outer or inner
  • Gift box or furoshiki
  • Message card
  • Choose a delivery date and time slot (Japanese addresses)
  • No invoice in the box

Questions

Where in Japan can you deliver this?
Anywhere in Japan. Shipping is ¥990 (ambient delivery) and takes 2–4 business days after dispatch.
Can you deliver to my hotel while I am in Japan?
Yes. Give us the name on your booking and your check-in date and we aim to arrive the day before you do. The rate is the same ¥990 as any Japanese address.
Can you ship this abroad?
Shipping alcohol out of Japan needs an export licence for liquor wholesalers, which we are still obtaining. Until then we cannot send it abroad.
How long does it keep?
About twelve months from bottling while sealed. Sake does not carry a use-by date, but this one is built on aroma, so we suggest drinking it within six months. Once opened, 7–10 days.
How should I store it?
Refrigerate at 5–10°C and stand the bottle upright. If it will not fit, any cool, dark cupboard works. Direct sunlight or anything above 20°C changes the flavour within days.
Can you gift wrap it?
Noshi and a message card are free. The inscription is picked from a list: celebrations, thanks, seasonal gifts, with the giver's name added. A gift box or a furoshiki cloth costs extra; the price is on this page.
Ingredients and allergens?
Rice and rice koji only, with no added distilled alcohol or sugars. None of Japan's 28 declarable allergens are present, and the brewery does not handle soy or wheat. Alcohol 15.5%.