Autumn comes in on the winds, the harvest and the high, bright skies. And in Japan, autumn also comes in dark bottles bearing a magic word - hiyaoroshi.
In a country where seasons are tasted as much as seen, breweries mark the calendar not only by rice and weather but also by what’s poured.
Winter and spring bring freshly pressed shiboritate; summer favors light natsuzake and, when the nights grow colder, a different character steps forward: mellow and mature yet with the liveliness of fresh rice wine. This is hiyaoroshi - a brew that deepens like autumn itself.
What is Hiyaoroshi?
Sake is generally pasteurized twice - first after being pressed and again before shipping. Hiyaoroshi skips the second heat treatment.
The name - 冷や卸し - tells the story. Hiya (冷や) can be translated as 'chilled' or 'cold' while oroshi, or orosu (卸), means 'wholesale' or 'to ship'.
Before refrigerators were invented, freshly pressed sake was not sold - its bitterness, astringency and odor made it too harsh a drink.
But in the Edo period, a new brewing technique was born. Fresh sake was stored in large barrels after a single pasteurization and aged over the summer. When autumn arrived and outside temperatures matched those of the storage area, the sake was drawn down from the barrels and shipped 'as is', without a second heating.
This method did more than stabilize sake - it transformed it. The result is a drink that keeps the freshness of namazake - unpasteurized sake - while mellowing into rounder flavors over the summer. Its aroma softens, its edges blur and the umami deepens into something resonant with the season.
The arrival of hiyaoroshi was cause for celebration, marking the moment when the year’s brew finally became drinkable.
Today, with advances in brewing and refrigeration technology, shiboritate - the freshly pressed sake once too brash for early release - can be enjoyed in winter and early spring.
Yet the autumn unveiling of hiyaoroshi still holds its own magic, its mellow taste a reminder that, in cooking and brewing, there are few ingredients as essential as time.
A quick note on terms: in Japan, the word 'sake' (酒) refers to any alcoholic drink. The drink called sake abroad is known in Japan as nihonshu (日本酒) - literally, Japanese alcohol.
Seasonal Sake Overview
The term sake is also paired with other characters to describe seasonal varieties. Here's an overview, together with suggested food pairings. If in doubt, just remember the role of seasonality in Japanese food culture - a sake released at a particular point in the year would probably go well with whatever is grown, gathered or caught in that season.
Haruzake: The Sake of Spring
As in many parts of the world, spring in Japan is a season of beginnings: the school and business years start, new graduates take the first steps in their career and flowers bloom in every shade of red. Haruzake (春酒) mirrors this energy.
Release period: February to April
Packaging: Pink or pastel labels, often adorned with cherry blossoms.
Taste: Lively, lightly sweet with fruity or floral notes. Often unpasteurized, giving it a bright, fresh quality. Some are designed to taste great at room temperature because this is the season of flower-viewing picnics. Cloudy sake - nigori - is also popular; it sometimes comes with a pinkish tint.
Food pairings: Bamboo shoots, young greens, sashimi.
Natsuzake: The Sake of Summer
From May, the air thickens and the days grow hotter and soggier. Natsuzake (夏酒), a relatively recent innovation, was created to refresh.
Release period: May to July
Packaging: Bottles in blues and greens; labels designed to suggest flowing water or sea breezes.
Taste: Light, crisp, often lower in alcohol and umami levels. Sparkling varieties are also popular in this season.
Food pairings: Grilled sweetfish, seared tuna, cucumber, chilled noodles.
Hiyaoroshi: The Sake of Autumn
When the heat of summer finally fades, brewers bring down the sake that has been resting in their kura. Pressed in winter, aged during the summer and shipped in autumn without a second pasteurization, hiyaoroshi (ひやおろし) balances freshness with maturity.
Release period: September to November
Packaging: Dark brown bottles, labels decorated in russet or ochre with maple or chrysanthemum motifs.
Taste: Rounded, mellow, umami-rich, with grain tones echoing the harvest.
Food pairings: Salt-baked sanma - Pacific saury - matsutake mushrooms, roasted chestnuts, game meats, aged cheese.
Akiagari: The Autumn Rise
Alongside hiyaoroshi, you may come across the term, akiagari - autumn rise. Strictly speaking, it’s not a type of sake but a description of its state: a brew that has 'risen' well through summer, improving in flavor by autumn. The opposite is akiochi - autumn fall - a sake that declines with the heat.
Because hiyaoroshi is aged through summer and released in autumn, the distinction can blur and the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Think of hiyaoroshi as the seasonal style and akiagari as the ideal condition it achieves.
As with unpasteurized sake, hiyaoroshi should be stored in a cool, dark place; the refrigerator is recommended. The flavor will change once the bottle is opened so finish it as soon as possible.
The Three Seasons of Autumn
Within fall, there are three seasons. It begins with lingering summer heat, sheds it for the crispness of mid-autumn days, then wraps up with the gathering chill of late fall. Hiyaoroshi follows suit, appearing in three phases.
Nagoshi Sake - The Sake of Late Summer
Released in early September, nagoshi sake (夏越し酒, 'sake that has passed the summer') combines the freshness of summer’s brews with the maturity brought by the ageing process. The taste is light yet mellow, much like the chirruping of the bell crickets heard when the evenings cool down.
Food pairings: chilled tofu, figs in a sesame dressing or the first saury of the season grilled with salt.
Recommended temperature: delicious chilled, served mizore style - half-frozen into a slush - or even at room temperature.
Akidashi Ichiban - The First Sake of Autumn
By October, the air has sharpened. Akidashi ichiban (秋出し一番) is hiyaoroshi in fine balance: rounded yet still lively, making it a good seasonal addition to gatherings to enjoy the mid-autumn moon.
Food pairings: fragrant matsutake mushrooms, roasted chestnuts or hearty dishes simmered in soy sauce.
Recommended temperature: try it at about 35 deg C. Warming it brings out the sweetness and deepens the aroma.
Banshu Umazake - The Delicious Sake of Late Autumn
By November, the chill has set in. Banshu umazake (晩秋旨酒) is the full ripening of hiyaoroshi, rich and rounded, with umami that seems built for long nights.
Food pairings: hot pots, oden, wild game or richer cheeses.
Recommended temperature: lukewarm - about 40 deg C - or hot, around 50 deg C.
A final note: Each brewery makes hiyaoroshi differently. These three styles are general rather than official categories and the serving and food pairing suggestions are only guidelines.
If you're stumped on what dishes would pair well with your autumn sake, try adding miso or soy sauce when you cook and see how hiyaoroshi draws out the umami.
Shiboritate: The Sake of Winter
Finally comes shiboritate (しぼりたて), literally 'freshly pressed'. Where hiyaoroshi is rounded, shiboritate crackles with raw energy.
Release period: December to February
Packaging: Labels boldly marked 新酒 (shinshu, 'new sake'), often in striking fonts.
Taste: Crisp, brash, effervescent, with youthful astringency.
Food pairings: Hot pots, oysters, sukiyaki.
Nihonshu Day: October 1
The first day of the 10th month - October 1 - is Nihonshu no Hi: Sake Day.
The choice of date comes from both language and tradition. In the old East Asian calendar, the 10th month is the month of the 10th zodiac sign, the rooster - pronounced as tori in Japanese and written with a character evoking a wine jar (酉). Combined with the radical that represents three drops of water, it forms 酒, the character for alcohol itself.
October also marks the start of the brewing year. With the rice harvested, breweries across Japan begin a new cycle, making October 1 the natural New Year’s Day for sake.
For these reasons, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association designated October 1 as Sake Day in 1978. The aim was to honor nihonshu as Japan’s national drink, to pass on traditional brewing wisdom and to nurture greater appreciation for sake at home and abroad.
Sake Day is marked by campaigns, tastings and events nationwide. At the center is the 'Kanpai with Sake!' celebration, where hundreds of people - from breweries to izakaya to homes - lift their ochoko cups in unison. In 2025, the association is once again hosting a global version online:
Event date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Start: 18:00 JST
Nationwide toast: 19:00 - 19:05 JST (simultaneous worldwide)
Broadcast via YouTube Live, the event connects participants across Japan and overseas - from Hong Kong to Singapore - in one shared toast. It’s only five minutes long but, in that moment, the world drinks together.
How to Select Sake
Choosing sake can feel like navigating a cellar in the dark. Terms such as junmai, ginjo, honjozo, sake meter value and rice milling rate are only part of the story because sake is a seasonal drink, and its flavors shift not only from region to region but also from month to month.
If you’re unsure about where to begin, start anywhere. Some people recommend daiginjo on the grounds that it's easier to drink, but a sake newbie might take to the fuller-bodied brews right out of the gate.
So, just explore. Taste different types of sake. Visit breweries if you can. Order a sake flight at an izakaya or a bar. Compare how a sake from Niigata differs from one brewed in Kyoto or the Tohoku region. Keep notes on what you enjoy, the temperature that suits it best and the food that pairs well with it.
If you can, try a seasonal sake like hiyaoroshi. Taste it chilled in September, warmed in November and notice how the taste changes.
Above all, don’t assume that a higher price means the sake is better. The best sake is simply the one that you like best.
By Janice Tay