How Long Does Sake Last
An unopened bottle of sake can last about 12 months after bottling, or 2 years if kept in a cool place or the fridge. Once opened, you can drink sake within one week. But you will get the most pleasurable state within 3 days of opening.
As you have already learned, sake does not come with a shelf life printed on its label, so it is impossible to say for surehow long does sake last?. While wines improve with age, sake is best consumed within one year of the date the bottle was printed on the label. It is best to drink sake that has not been opened for 12 months after its bottling date, or within 2 years after opening.
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It is recommended that you consume opened sake as quickly as possible in order to appreciate its best flavors. Once you open the sake bottle, you must consume the whole within one day if you want to enjoy its best taste. Drink your sake up to one week after it is opened, but it is best to experience its best flavor in the first three days.
While there may be various factors that determine this, a common rule is to store your sake refrigerated and consume within a couple of months. While some opened sakes may safely keep for years in this manner, your best course is to finish your bottle within the next few weeks.
| Storage | Shelf life |
| Unopened bottle | 12 months |
| Opened bottle | 1 week |
An unopened sake bottle may be stored in a wine cabinet or refrigerator at moderate temperatures for six to ten years. An opened bottle of Sake must be stored immediately in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, and then it can be stored for one to two years. If you cannot consume a bottle of sake without opening within one day, place it in the refrigerator, where it will be safe for consumption within several weeks.
If a bottle of pasteurized sake is still not opened, you may have up to two years worth of sake sitting in the pantry. Unpasteurized sake may last in the refrigerator for six months, while opened, unpasteurized sake will last 1 -2 weeks in the refrigerator. The one type of sake that should last you in the refrigerator, for either long-term or short-term, is namazake (unpasteurized sake).
Namazake (Sheng Jiu ) is a variety of sake that has not been pasteurized in order to eliminate bacteria used in the fermentation process. Namazake is a sake variation that has not been pasteurized to kill off bacteria used during the fermentation process.
Unpasteurized sake, or namazake, is the exception here, since this type of sake should be kept in a refrigerator at the optimal temperature between 5 and 6. It is recommended that you store sake somewhere that has around a 20 degree temperature as that temperature is best for nearly all types of sake. You should make sure that you store sake in 20 degrees Celsius since it is the best temperature for all types of sake.
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For warm sake, you can microwave your sake for 25 seconds in the mug or warm it over a burner on the lowest setting. It is best to keep the sake on the lowest rack in your refrigerator, to prevent cold temperatures from impacting the products subtle flavors. If sake is stored at room temperature, quality quickly decreases, both in terms of flavor and freshness. If the sake has been kept refrigerated (about 41degF) or kept somewhere dark and cool, then it is entirely realistic to expect the sake may still be good 2 years later or longer (see How Should One Properly Store Sake.
For cooking purposes, sake may last for two or three months, and can last even a half-year, when kept cool and dark. The changes are the reason you need to keep sake in a cool, dark place, especially once you open the bottle. After several days, the flavor does not change a lot, but a week or so later, sake can start resembling another spirit. I said that you really do not notice any major changes to a sakes taste for three or four days in the fridge (this is generalization, since all sakes age differently).
They say sake needs to be consumed soon after opening in order to get the flavors and sensations that they want you to experience. Unless you bought an especially aged sake, the conventional wisdom is that you would better be drinking your sake pretty young, within one year of its production, and generally speaking, sake does not get better as it gets older. Remember, sake is pretty expensive, so properly storing your sake is the best way to make the most out of your beverage. If you are a sake enthusiast, or you are just looking to dip your toes in the pool with this yummy beverage, it is essential that you know how to properly store sake.
If you store sake correctly, the sake does not easily spoil, and you will be able to retain the taste of it for a good amount of time. An unopened normal bottle of sake can last for around 1 to 2 years, and the sake still retains a nice flavor. Because alcohol has a bacteria-killing effect, rust does not occur on the containers or barrels right away, so the sake can last for long periods. Because alcohol has a bactericidal effect, corrosion does not occur immediately, and sake may be stored for a long time.
If sake is opened, germs and water are present in the bottle mouth, and over time, mold may develop in the mouth. Sake bottles should be stored in a refrigerator as soon as opened, and they should be sealed tight for one to two years thereafter. Sake will spoil if it is not stored properly, as sake is largely handmade and does not have preservatives, as do most alcoholic beverages. Keep in mind, Japanese sake is very sensitive and delicate since it does not contain preservatives unlike wines.
Unlike wines or spirits, Japanese sake, or nihonshu (Ri Ben Jiu), does not have significant culture of aging. Unlike wine and spirits, Japanese sake, or nihonshu (**), is not as highly aged as other alcoholic beverages.
Regular sake is sake that has been heated through a process called burning twice, once after it is been compressed into the sake, and once again before it is bottled. The production date of sake literally indicates the year and month in which the sake was produced, but not the day when it was squeezed. Sometimes the brewery will keep the sake in storage for some time before bottling, so the date is not a precise indicator of the sakes actual age, but it is about as close as one can get in terms of age determination.
Can you drink sake after ten years?
Before it is opened, sake produced long ago can frequently be consumed without any health issues, although the flavor will alter. Depending on the production technique, sake can be savored at various times. Once opened, sake oxidizes but fortunately more slowly than wine.
How long does sake take to go bad?
Thankfully, sake oxidizes more slowly than wine once it has been opened. Drink sake within a week of opening, but the first three days are when it will be at its most enjoyable. Sake should be unopened and used within a year after the bottling date, or within two years if refrigerated or maintained in cool storage.
Can spoiled sake make you sick?
It’s extremely improbable (aside from hangovers!) that you will get sick if the bottle is correctly sealed and tastes and smells great. No hazardous germs should have gotten into the sake, making it safe even if there are discolorations, odd scents, or peculiar tastes.