Honjozo
Doi Brewing Company
Sword of the Sun Takatenjin Tokubetsu Honjozo
Decent sake but could have offered more. Don’t hide the bite as much as I wanted. Maybe that was the light profile. More cool fruits and veggies than anything deep. — 2 years ago
Daishichi Sake Brewery
Daishichi Honjozo Kimoto Sake
Carmel notes and creamy. Super smooth. No burn. — 4 years ago
Yoshi Toji no Banshaku
Honjozo Sake
Yoshi no gawa is the kura (brewery) in Niigata, Japan. They were founded in 1548. Yes, you read that right.
Gohyaku Mangoku rice is used. Milled to Honjozo sake….35% removed with 65% remaining. A small amount of brewers alcohol is added.
When chilled, it’s creamy with crisp green melon, minerals and white nougat.
It changes with a couple of degrees in temperature.
As it warms, more richer, earthy rounder mushroom flavours.
Snow, colder temperatures, beautiful water, experienced Toji and top quality rice are essential to produce award winning nihon shu.
Niigata excels in all categories. — 5 years ago
Genbei san no Oni Koroshi
Demon Slayer Honjozo Sake
Sushi 69, San Anselmo, CA — 7 years ago
Saiya Brewery
Yuri Masamune Honjozo Sake
Such a great value and well balanced. I enjoyed it slightly chilled. Although it had some very subtle melon and floral notes, it did not really register as “sweet”. It was more in the aromas and had a bit of a savory, nutty finish. The texture of it was quite nice as well! — 7 years ago
Ura Gasanryu
'Koka' Honjozo Sake 2026
Ura-Gasanryu Koka (裏・雅山流 香華) — GREEN bottle
Brewery: Shindo Shuzoten, Yonezawa, Yamagata
Classification: Honjozo
Rice: Yamagata-grown rice
Polishing: 65%
ABV: 14%
Style: Ura-Gasanryu series
Brewer description: Designed around a fresh, fragrant character with a clean, light palate. Soft aromatics and an easy, refreshing finish emphasize drinkability rather than weight.
Tasted at Sake Day SF — 9/26/2026. Rating is limited since the same glass was reused throughout the tasting, making it difficult to get a truly clean tasting and accurate read on the aromas.
Very good and underrated. Excellent value. Not something I would bring to a serious restaurant, but I would absolutely buy it for home or at a casual restaurant. — 7 days ago
Tensei
“Endless Summer” Tokubetsu Honjozo Japanese Sake
Stellar. enjoyed at the beach with a raw tuna poke bowl. Almost finished the whole bottle myself! Hey, I was there til sunset! — 2 years ago
Aoki Shuzo
Yuki Otoko "Snow Yeti" Honjozo
One of seven tasted last night. Fun times. Great to have these options #doloresoutpost — 6 years ago
Katafune
Special Honjozo
This was all part of our Sake Day 2025 experience. We only tasted 60ish sakes out of an estimated 450, so a small fraction of what was available. While I attempted to rinse the glass with water and stay hydrated it’s difficult to fairly rate in this environment and I use it solely as a time to try a wide variety and interact with the brands. — a year ago
Tensei
Infinite Summer Tokubetsu Honjozo Japanese Sake
Sushi, Sake & Patio — a year ago
Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute
Premium Ouveau Honjozo
Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute Premium Ouveau Honjozo. This has a lot of punch to it - little bit in the bitter side if taken by itself. Better with food and had with butterfish and sea perch sushi. Went very well with that after the differential with the prior sake was past. — 2 years ago
Hakkaisan
Honjozo Sake 2020
Very versatile, great chilled and at room temperature but really opens up when warmed. Have fun with this one. — 6 years ago
Akashi Tai
Tokubetsu Honjozo Genshu
Sake Sake Sake!!!! — 6 years ago
Hideyoshi (Suzuki Shuzoten)
Namacho Honjozo Sake 1685
Easy drinking. — 7 years ago
Midori-Kawa Shuzo
Honjozo 'Green River'
This is ginjo version, not honjozo version. Fresh yet flavourful and medium body, smooth taste goes well with any dishes. Temp tasted was from chilled to room temp, then tried on luke warm temp as well. Once passed room temp, initial flavour really kicks with rice and a little alcohol; but tasted actually milder than when chilled.
From fresh seafood to deep fried dishes, it went very well. — 8 years ago
Norman
Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo (八海山 特別本醸造)
Brewery: Hakkaisan Brewery, Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan
Classification: Tokubetsu Honjozo
Rice: Gohyakumangoku and other rice
Polishing: 55%
ABV: 15.5%
SMV: +4
Acidity: 1.0
Brewer description: Hakkaisan describes it as a clean, crisp sake with a gentle aroma and smooth, refreshing character. Designed to be versatile with food and enjoyable either chilled or warmed.
Tasted at Sake Day SF — 9/26/2026. Rating is limited since the same glass was reused throughout the tasting, making it difficult to get a truly clean tasting and accurate read on the aromas.
Fine. Nothing I would specifically look for. — 7 days ago