Sake Day Date in the current year: October 1, 2024

Sake Day is celebrated on October 1 for a reason: October is the first month of the sake brewing season that lasts until April. The best way to celebrate this holiday is to drink some sake. If October 1 falls on working day, be free to start celebrating on the weekend before or after this day.

Sake is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. Although it is typically referred to as Japanese rice wine, the process of making sake resembles that of brewing beer: in wine, alcohol is produced by fermenting natural sugar, whereas in sake and beer, starch is converted to sugars that then ferment into alcohol. The main difference between the brewing of sake and beer is that in sake, the conversions of starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol occur simultaneously, whereas in the brewing process for beer these are two distinct steps.

Sake is regarded as the national beverage in Japan. The recommended serving temperature varies by the type of sake, but the traditional ceremony requires gently warming sake in a small bottle before sipping it from small porcelain cups.

Sake Day originated as a national professional holiday for Japanese sake brewers, but over the past years it has spread throughout the word and is occasionally referred to as World Sake Day.