Advanced Kyoto Insider Sake Tasting Experience

This was an incredibly enriching sake experience. Momoko was our sake educator and she was excellent! We tasted 10 sakes and learned about brewing methods. 10/10 would recommend 🍶

Really great experience. Goes very in-depth with the whole sake production process. Kiyomi was fantastic! So knowledgeable and super friendly. Highly recommend!

Kiyomi was great and the sake was unique

Very fun! Learned a lot! Worth every penny

Great experience, highly recommended. We had a great time and learn a lot from this tour. Before, we came for the Insider Sake experience tour at Gekkeikan Sake Brewery and some Japanese Sake testing with Mr. Shogo, and it was amazing. So this time we came back again for an Advance Sake Testing course with Mrs. Kiyomi, and we were so amazed to find out how much more can the Sake making process affect the test and aroma of the Sake. Our guide today, Mrs. Kiyomi is also very lovely and really easy going. We really enjoyed our Sake testing tour today.

This was really special. I love sake and Kiyomi the sake sommelier was just so knowledgeable and interesting. The tasting was also really special - no way would I ever get to experience the bottles any other way.

A comprehensive discussion on brewing meghods of Sake, along with a delightful tasting experience.

Kiyomi is a helpful and acknowledged tutor. Really enjoy the time experiencing variety type sake.

Kiyomi’s sake tasting was one of the most enjoyable, well structured experiences on my trip. From the start, she set a welcoming tone and made the whole session feel accessible, even for people who are newer to sake. What stood out most was how clearly Kiyomi explained the “why” behind what we were tasting. She walked us through key differences in polishing, aromatics, sweetness versus dryness. Each pour had context. not just the style and region, but what to look for on the palate.

Insightful lesson on a fascinating topic by an excellent teacher. Sake was also delicious! Sake tasting with family was an excellent way to spend 2 hours. Would highly recommend.

Absolutely fantastic experience. Kiyomi was so lovely and bubbly, the whole session was so informative! Definitely recommend for anyone wanting to try sake or already has a good knowledge of sake (Nihonshu!).

Super Great! We had Kiyomi, and she was the best! Sooo knowledgeable, warm and enthusiastic. We learned so much, she even taught us how to identify bottles in the store and read the kanji labels. Overall 10 out of 10. So nice, as someone who doesn’t drink much alcohol I stilled enjoyed it and would recommend. I learned so much. Thank you Kyoto Sake Experience!

Kiyomi was our extremely knowledgable and friendly Sake sommelier. We learned so much and were able to specify our interests based on the information. I would recommend this to anyone, including people without prior interest in Sake.

This was a great experience in Kyoto! Kotaro is excellent and very knowledgeable on sake (he's a sommelier) and we were fascinated to learn so much and how complex the whole sake making process is and so many styles that exist. He goes into lots of detail but it's just the right amount to leave informed but entertained as you get to try 10 different types of sake. Highly recommend the experience, it's a small group so it's very personal and lots of fun!! You will leave with a new appreciation of the sake world and sample some great sake too!

The event was planned and booked in the expectation of a rather touristic, short event. However we were very positively surprised by a great event in which we learned more then we ever dreamed of in a very cosy setting and had excellent and rare sakes we could taste. The host presented enthusiastically and with drive and experience. She really was knowledgeable on the topic! I learned a lot and had great fun and had some real excellent sake in a great variety. When I do get back, I'll do it again

This sake tasting experience was exceptional in my opinion. Kiyomi, our sake, sommelier, was extremely knowledgable and experienced. She provided a great presentation and overall experience, with not just a deep understanding of sake and the brewing techniques, but also fantastic and unique sake varieties to taste. I thought it was a fantastic experience!.

We have done both the intro tour and the advanced tour, and we learned so much! The sommeliers are so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Kotaro was really lovely and answered all our questions. Loved having the advanced tasting build on what we learned last time. Also, the tasting was set up extremely thoughtfully, so that we could easily taste the difference in styles and process. A one-of-a-kind experience and definitely worth the trip.

We are not new to sake but still we learnt a lot today. Kiyomi was very knowledgeable and passionate about nihonshu. The selection for tasting was made with care to demonstrate the range of different styles. It was easy to apply what we learnt. We definitely feel confident to buy sake with only Japanese labels.even though we do not speak or read Japanese. Thank you!

Highly recommended experience for tasting unique & delicious sakes. Kiyoma was a great teacher, super fun & knowledgeable. Thanks Kiyomi

This tour was incredibly informative and a lot of fun! We learned so much about sake that we are continually educating our friends and families about it because of this tour. I recommend doing this early on in the trip so that you can enjoy sake more the rest of your time in Japan!

It was a great experience. The sake was good and the presentation was great. After that I even bought some sake bottles to bring home.

If you love sake, then this is an experience that cannot be missed. I completed both the 1.5-hour tasting session and the advanced sake course, sampling around 17 distinct sakes across a wide spectrum of styles. The advanced course introduced experimental artisanal brewing techniques not found in commercial products. The most valuable takeaway: I learned how to interpret Japanese labeling to determine sake type and expected flavor profile, eliminating guesswork when ordering in Japan or abroad. Tasting each type side-by-side, paired with food, revealed how drastically flavor can shift based on context. I now know precisely which style I prefer. The advertised experiences delivered. What exceeded expectations was the staff. They rescheduled my missed session without hesitation, adjusted timing to fit my availability, and consistently made the experience personal and accommodating. By the end, I felt more like a friend than a customer.. but maybe that’s just the sake talking 😆.

Very lively and informative session on sake. Our guide was very friendly and fluent in English. We had a nice time. Wide varieties of sake were available for tasting

This was so much fun and it taught us so much about sake. I love sake!! We tried 10 different ones and learned so much from the gentleman who was teaching the class

Never had Sake before and did not know much about it. Greg was really knowledgeable and obviously loves Sake. Had loads of Sake to taste, good job we ate lunch first! Think there was 10 in total all very different. Who knew it tastes so good. Brilliant totally recommend x

I recommend this tour to anyone who likes and drinks sake(nihonshu). You get an opportunity to learn from the best about how it's created and the different types. 10 out 10 would recommend.

Our tour/sommelier Miyuki was very knowledgeable and friendly. She made the experience very enjoyable and fun. I really recommend her for your next sake tasting in Kyoto.

We had the opportunity to dive into the world of Sake thanks to a geat instructor (Greg), and the tasting was really great!

Very knowledgeable and friendly staff, a great way to understand more about Sake, its history, brewing methods and tastes etc. guided through presentations and tastings.

Two of our party were familar with sake, but one was new to sake. The class was very educational in what goes into making sake and the various flavors that are available. There were plenty of sake tasted.

This is a must do experience. Kotaro and Momoko were amazing and took the time to answer questions and share their love of sake. Can’t recommend this experience enough - you won’t be disappointed

Kotaro was excellent at explaining the history & intricacies of sake. Would highly recommend this tasting if in Kyoto!

It was one of the best activities we had in Kyoto!! I’ve been to Kyoto many many times but it was my first time joining this experience. And as Japanese I highly recommend the class!!!

I'm a wine nerd, and for some time, I'd been hoping to do a sake tasting that went deep on technical details of production and how it affects the end result, as opposed to a simply qualitative, empirical comparison tasting, as is so often done in the wine world. This tasting did not disappoint! Kotaro-sensei did a fantastic job of covering not just details of production, but what is happening chemically and how these details change what you get in the glass. I now have a solid foundation of knowledge to build on not only of different styles but also what keywords map to the production techniques that will help me find the experience I'm looking for.

If you enjoy drinking Sake have an interest in knowing more about the traditional and modern processes for making Sake, you should really give this Tasting Experience a go. I did both the Beginners Tasting Experience one day and the Advanced Course the next day. Both were extremely informative and interesting. Although I did a bit of sake research before going to Japan, I learned so much more about the various types of sake and their production processes. Included in the beginners course is a visit to the Gekkeikan Sake brewery and museum, which was excellent. Over the 2 sessions something like 18 different sakes were tasted, but at the end of it all I still preferred the more standard range of Junmai brews over the more esoteric brews that were aged or left in cedar for 2 weeks, etc. If you're looking for something interesting, other than visiting the tourist sites, I would highly recommend this experience.

This tasting was amazing and super informative, and Kotaro was an incredible teacher! We learned so much about the nuances of sake, and got to taste some very rare types that are not readily available. I will admit that I was hesitant at first, thinking that it may be very touristy, but I am so happy that we did this. We are much more knowledgable about what to look for when purchasing sake. Definitely a must do when visiting Kyoto!

I have been finding myself enjoying sake (during this presentation, learned that what we in the West call "sake" just means "alcohol" in Japanese... the more precise term for rice wine made in Japan that we typically refer to as sake is, "Nihonshu") more and more recently, so on a trip to Japan, I decided to book a tasting. This particular tasting was absolutely perfect for you if you are in a similar boat, or even if you are new to the drink. Don't be dissuaded by the title of "Advanced" tasting. Also, note that this is a "tasting" not a "tour." You will not be seeing any brewing or equipment for brewing. The session is 90+ minutes (all seated, in one room), and starts out with about 30 minutes of an entertaining and very informative presentation on the fundamentals of Nihonshu, how it's made, and most importantly, how the different processes affect the taste and experience of drinking the product. After this session (and with the super-handy cheat sheet card they give you), you will be able to shop for sake, even as a non-Japanese speaker, and reliably select a bottle that matches your taste preference. It's a game changer if you are a noob like me. Our experience was lead by Kotaro, a native Japanese Nihonshu expert who spoke clear, fluent English and was able to perfectly answer all our questions. After the first 30 minutes, there was an hour of tastings (a full shot of each one) from 10 different bottles. What made this tasting "advanced" was not the fact that he assumed that we were experienced (some folks with us were extremely inexperienced with Nihonshu), but rather, we got to try some of the variations of the beverage that are a bit outside of the norm and harder to find. I don't know if you'll try the same ones as us, but to give some examples, we tried variations like Nihonshu that was... - aged in cedar barrels - brewed with sake instead of water - fermented with different approaches - fermented with alternative enzymes than is typical and so on. After the tasting is over, all bottles tried were available for purchase. I cannot recommend this experience enough for people who enjoy "sake" and want to dig a little deeper, or even anyone curious about the drink. We used Google Maps to find the location via public transportation (trains) and it was very easy to get to. a short walk from Chushojima station on the Keihan Main train line.

EXCELLENT! Our instructor was immensely informative and kind. The sake was elite as well as difficult to obtain. I felt like I took a semester course in just 2 hours.

Sake was excellent. Our instructor was great! Would definitley recommend. There’s a lot to understanding sake. I’m glad I took the class!

Very educational and informative, even if you have (or think you have) a strong knowledge of sake aka nihonshu. Mr. Hashimoto gave a great amount of detail into the creation process and introduced us to methods typically not seen in U.S. production. We also tasted several different styles based on traditional and modern production, style of koji used, rice variety, yeast, and storing methods. It's a definite must-do for any lover of sake/nihonshu.

This experience was fantastic. The sake sommelier was extremely knowledgeable and we learned a lot about sake, while sharing some laughs and, of course, tasting a wide variety of sake. The setting was very relaxed and intimate, ideal for asking questions, while enjoying some sake. Would highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in learning more about sake.

Learned so much in this sake experience. I had no idea sakes were so complicated but it was welcomed information as I learned that what I had been accustomed to drinking in the U.S. had much more variety and depth of flavors than I realized. Found a sake I liked and was able to purchase a bottle to bring home. Kotaro was very patient with my millions of questions.

Momoko was amazing Extremely informative and very entertaining Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Sake

Momoko is very knowledgeable and entertaining. I learned so much about Sake and what foods to pair with. Thanks!!!

Great experience learning about the history of sake and the various methods used to produce. Extremely informative and fun getting to try very unique sakes

Honestly I did know what to expect from this sake tasting but it blew me away! Kotaro taught it so well and his presentation was so well done! I learned much more than expected and the sake all tasted so good! I highly recommend this class, If I come back to Kyoto I will take this class again! Thank you so much, Kotaro!

Very interesting experience with tasting more "unusual" sake - I learned a lot and now have a greater appreciation for the complexity of the sake world.

This was a very informative and enjoyable experience! Our sommelier, Kotaro did a fantastic job presenting the information and offering detailed explanations of the different types of Sake and their crafting methods. The entire presentation was in English and was easy to follow. The diversity of Sake types presented was definitely noteworthy and contributed to a unique overall experience. If you like Sake or are curious, this is definitely an event to check out!

Hotaru was absolutely amazing! He is incredibly passionate and knowledgeable!! Though most of the people in our class had a strong wine knowledge, most of us only had a loose understanding of sake. Hotaru went in depth without getting too complicated and offered a very diverse selection of sakes. He helped us understand key terms and styles, and how to read a label. He also gave good reconditions for restaurants and sake shops!! Very happy and would highly recommend this class to anyone interested in knowing more about sake!! Arigatou Gozaimasu Hotaru!! (Sorry for keeping you so late!)