Shiboritate — The Joy of New Sake

Shiboritate — literally “just pressed” — is sake at its most immediate: raw, vivid, unfiltered by time or storage, sometimes still slightly effervescent from residual fermentation. It is available for only a few months each winter and is among the most exciting seasonal events in the sake world.

The Pressing Process

After the mash (moromi) has finished fermenting, the liquid must be separated from the rice lees. This pressing (joso or johai) can be done by machine filtration, by pressing the mash in cloth bags through a wooden “fune” (boat-shaped press), or by the slowest and most prized method: hanging bags of mash and allowing gravity to draw out the sake drop by drop. This gravity-filtered first run is called “shizuku” (droplet sake) — some of the most expensive sake in Japan.

The Stages of Pressing

Arabashiri: The first liquid to emerge — cloudy, rough, with residual CO2. Wild and expressive.

Nakadori: The middle run, considered the most balanced — clear, complete.

Seme: The final press — deeper colored, often more umami-rich, sometimes slightly bitter from the pressure exerted on the lees.

Drinking Shiboritate

Shiboritate is often sold as namazake (unpasteurized) — it must be kept cold and consumed quickly. The hallmarks to look for: freshness (a lively, almost electric quality on the palate), a slight effervescence, green or herbal notes that fade with age, and an overall sense of incompleteness that is itself the point. This sake is not finished; it is in the process of becoming. Drinking it is drinking time.

When to Find It

December through February is the classic shiboritate season, with some breweries releasing their first pressing as early as November. Many sake retailers host “shiboritate parties” when a beloved brewery’s new sake arrives. These are not to be missed.