Amabuki Sakura Fubuki Rose Sasanigori Junmai Saga Sake, Japan

Red cherry, golden apple, banana, and candied citrus rise from a delicately cloudy pink sake with an unusually silky texture. Amabuki Sakura Fubuki Rose Sasanigori Junmai Saga Sake combines local Saga rice with purple rice and two of Amabuki’s signature flower-derived yeasts, cherry blossom and strawberry blossom, to create a dry, savory expression of nigori with vivid fruit and persistent umami. Its name evokes a blizzard of falling cherry blossoms, an apt image for the suspended rice drifting through its luminous rose-colored body.

Product Details:

• President: Sotaro Kinoshita
• Toji: Ryutaro Inoue
• Rice: Local Saga rice and purple rice
• Rice-Polishing Ratio: 60%
• Yeast: Cherry blossom and strawberry blossom flower yeasts
• Sake Meter Value: +3
• ABV: 15%

Sensory Description:

Vibrant red cherry and golden apple lead the aroma, joined by ripe banana and candied citrus peel. The palate moves in a more savory direction, combining apple and pear with marzipan, sakura-mochi, and a sustained current of rice-derived umami. Despite its cloudy appearance and generous texture, the sake is notably dry and refined rather than overtly sweet. Fine suspended rice gives the palate a smooth, silky quality, while the purple rice contributes to its distinctive rose hue. Fruit, savory depth, and gentle richness remain in balance through a lingering umami-driven finish.

Producer’s Background:

Amabuki Shuzo traces its history to 1688 in Saga, where generations of brewers have worked with rice from the fertile Saga Plain and water associated with the Sefuri-Tenzan mountain systems. Today, the brewery is led by President Sotaro Kinoshita, with Ryutaro Inoue serving as Toji. A defining feature of modern Amabuki is its extensive work with flower yeasts, isolated from blossoms and selected for the distinctive aromatic and fermentation characteristics they can bring to sake. Sakura Fubuki takes that philosophy in an especially expressive direction, combining cherry blossom and strawberry blossom yeasts with local Saga rice and purple rice. The resulting pink, delicately cloudy sake connects the brewery’s long history with a distinctly contemporary approach to aroma, texture, and visual presentation.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve well chilled at approximately 5 to 10°C and gently invert the bottle before opening if a more evenly cloudy texture is desired. A white wine glass or small stemmed sake glass will showcase both its rose color and fruit-forward aromatics. Pair with rare steak, barbecue ribs, tuna carpaccio, grilled pork, fried chicken, tempura, potato salad, asparagus, pickled ginger, black sesame dishes, or other savory izakaya fare. Its dry profile, fruit character, and umami make it particularly effective with foods that combine richness, salt, and char.