Sake is a Japanese wine made from fermented rice. Maybe you have some sake collecting dust where you usually keep your liquor. You might be thinking to yourself: Has my sake gone bad? How long does it last? Show
Here’s what you need to know about sake’s shelf-life. If the bottle remains unopened, sake can last two years. However, when you open it up to enjoy it, you’ll want to finish the same day for the best quality. If that’s not possible, it should still be okay for 2-4 weeks in the fridge. Related:Does Champagne Go Bad?Does Irish Cream Go Bad?Does Kahlua Go Bad? How To Tell If Sake Has Gone Bad Don’t Open It!If you’re not ready to indulge, then leave it sealed! Don’t open sake for a taste or smell unless you plan to finish it within the next week. Sealed sake is much easier to store than opened. How to Store Unopened SakeCool and dark are the ideal conditions for unopened sake! Find the darkest and coolest place in your home and make it your sake cabinet. A cupboard, basement, or pantry will do just fine! Cool: Keeping your sake cool will promote its longevity. If you have space in your refrigerator, by all means use it, otherwise a consistent room temperature between 10° to 15° C is perfect. Keep it away from heaters or windows. Dark: One of sake’s many enemies is sunlight. UV radiation will change its color and affect taste and fragrance. While some breweries use dark bottles to protect their brew, many opt for a cheaper clear glass easily penetrated by sunlight. For extra protection, wrap your sake in paper or store it in a box. Even if the bottle is a stunning work of art, exhibiting your sake collection in the open is not a good idea. Drink and then display! How to Store Opened SakeUnfortunately, if you’ve opened the bottle or carton, the clock is ticking! Sake is being slowly damaged the moment it is exposed to the air. To ensure it stays fresh for another time, firmly replace the cap and place it in the fridge. While some opened sake may be safely stored this way for years, it’s best to finish the bottle within the following week. Avoid keeping it at room temperature too long! If you want to go the extra mile, pumps to suck out oxygen and high-quality stoppers are available to help preserve opened sake. While a little pricey, if the sake is premium, investing in one of these mechanisms is well worth it! Search 日本酒 ストッパー on Rakuten or Amazon for a high-quality range. How to Tell If Your Sake is BadSo, you’ve stumbled across that bottle you forgot about. Or perhaps your local liquor store has some suspiciously cheap discount sake. Is it good to drink or down the sink? Here are some tips to help you tell! Check the Bottling Date! Instead of an expiration date, sake in Japan will display the date it was bottled. Known as the 製造年月日 (seizou nenggapi), the bottling date is generally located on the bottom of the front label and will follow conventional Japanese Y/M/D or Y/M date formatting. Check below for an example. Less than 1 year old: The sake is fresh and ready to be drunk! 1 – 3 years old: Probably not at its peak condition, but still enjoyable if stored properly. Only buy if discounted! 4+ years old: Do not buy! Use the guide below before consuming! Old Sake: See, Smell, TasteAt the end of the day, no matter the condition or age, some sake will be good and some will be bad. To find out which is which, follow the guide below! See: Bad sake may have a yellowish hue similar to white wine. If the bottle is darkly colored, pour the sake into a glass to double check. Unpleasant lumps floating or resting at the bottom are also very prominent signs of a severely degraded sake. Smell: Pop the cap and take a whiff! Rotten, earthy, burnt, or yogurt-like smells mean that the sake has likely deteriorated. This could be due to any number of factors. Taste: If you see or smell nothing unusual, go for a taste! Simply put, if it tastes bad, don’t drink it! Will I Get Sick From Old Sake?If the bottle is properly sealed and smells/tastes fine, it’s very unlikely you’ll become sick (excluding hangovers!) Even if there is discoloration, strange smells, or quirky tastes, no harmful bacteria should have entered the sake, making it safe. If the cap is in any way breached, do not drink! If something tastes horrible, it’s usually your body’s way of signaling danger, so listen to your taste buds and don’t force yourself. My Sake is Bad – What Should I Do With It?If your sake is undrinkable, don’t throw it out unless it’s extremely spoilt! Old sake can be used in cooking; mellowing pungent ingredients and adding flavor. As long as the bottle was sealed, the alcohol content will prevent any dangerous bacteria from growing, so it won’t be dangerous to consume. If it tastes a bit too off to want to drink, but not foul or unpleasant, put it to good use in your kitchen! Some delicious sake-based cooking ideas can be found here. Namazake – Always Keep Refrigerated!Namazake (生酒) is a sake variety that has not been pasteurized to kill off bacteria used during the fermentation process. Therefore, namazake needs to be constantly refrigerated to prevent this bacteria from multiplying and ruining the brew. Store namazake in the fridge and finish it as soon as possible. A Final Note about Koshu – Aged Sake!Despite previous assertions, a vintage sake culture does exist! Sake purposely stored and matured for years, known as “koshu” (古酒), is readily available and thriving! Koshu is often colored a light amber, almost like whiskey, and presents a wildly different character from regular sake. Bitter, rich, musty, and with a slightly oily texture, they are a controversial yet fascinating entry to the sake world. A range of innovative aging techniques yield a variety of koshu almost as dynamic as regular sake itself! For more information, Sake World offers a detailed koshu explanation. Hopefully this article has answered your questions about keeping your sake fresh. If you’re just getting into the wide and exciting world of sake, you might like to read our other article titled How to Drink Sake: A Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Drinking Sake in Japan. Happy drinking! If you want to give feedback on any of our articles, you have an idea that you’d really like to see come to life, or you just have a question on Japan, hit us up on our Facebook! How long until open sake goes bad?Sake can be enjoyed for a longer time than wine. Generally speaking, an opened white wine needs to be consumed within five to seven days, and red wine within three to five days. Sake can easily last for a week or two, and maybe up to a month if stored in the fridge.
How can you tell if sake has gone bad?How To Tell If Sake Is Bad. Yellow tint. Sake is typically clear, and the yellow hue indicates that the oxidation process did quite some damage to the alcohol.. Off, rotten, or pungent smell. If it smells bad, throw it away.. Particles, either floating or on the bottom of the bottle. ... . Off taste.. Can you drink 20 year old sake?Old sake can be used in cooking; mellowing pungent ingredients and adding flavor. As long as the bottle was sealed, the alcohol content will prevent any dangerous bacteria from growing, so it won't be dangerous to consume.
Does unopened Saki go bad?An unopened bottle of Sake can be stored in the pantry or in the fridge with a moderate temperature for six to ten years. An opened bottle of Sake should be stored in the fridge immediately and should be tightly sealed, after which it can be stored for one to two years.
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How long until sake goes bad?
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