The UK’s National Sake Week returns for its second year from May 5th to May 11th to celebrate Japanese sake culture in 2025. This year’s National Sake Week will be even better and bigger than last year with more bars and restaurants participating and the week will offer a wide variety of fantastic events. It’s a great opportunity to explore the fascinating world of sake while enjoying tastings and socialising with like-minded sake enthusiasts. Read more to find out what National Sake Week has to offer for this year!
National Sake Week 2025: What to Anticipate
For this year’s National Sake Week, you can look forward to grand opening parties with Kagami Biraki ceremonies. Throughout the week, there will be exceptional sake tastings and delicious food pairings to try from Izakaya favourites to elegant signature dishes. Also, you will get a chance to see live demonstrations at sake breweries such as Kanpai Sake Brewery, and opportunities to join interactive workshops, attend exclusive tasting dinners, cozy bar events and a lively cocktail party.
Whether you attend a workshop, tasting, dinner or party, each event is fun and memorable and you’ll have a whole special week that will allow you to learn more about sake in a festive and friendly environment and open the door to making new connections.
Key Highlights for 2025
- Opening parties with Kagami Biraki ceremonies followed by tastings or lunch
- Unique sake tastings, delicious food pairings, and special dinners at various eateries
- Traditional sake brewing demos to see the brewing process at Kanpai Sake Brewery
- Sampling Tamagawa Sakes with snacks in Birmingham
- Interactive sake workshops, masterclasses, sake battle and shochu cocktail party
- Special discounts and in-store tastings at Starry Mart and other retailers
National Sake Week 2025: Venues
National Sake Week is a big event taking place in major cities across the UK. This allows more people to join in to celebrate and enjoy what is often seen as Japan’s famous alcholic drink.
Some of the key locations include Kanpai Sake Brewery for the Opening Ceremony in London and Shochu Cocktail Party, Chisou Mayfair for the Tengu Sake Takeover, Sanjugo in collaboration with BSA for Springtime Sake and Sushi Social, and Paxton & Whitfield for Sparkling Sake and Cheese Tasting as well as Ramen Don for the Opening Ceremony in Birmingham, Kodo for Sake Battle in Manchester and JÖRO for Sake Tastings and Pairings in Sheffield.
Besides physical venues, some retailers like Starry Mart have special offers and tastings available. This means everyone can take part. Whether you’re attending an exclusive tasting dinner, a special masterclass, or just visiting a local store for a free tasting, National Sake Week aims to be friendly and welcoming, helping to grow the sake community throughout the UK.
National Sake Week 2025: Workshops & Classes
A lot of events are planned for National Sake Week featuring a great selection of sake from Japanese and UK breweries as well as pairing tasty sakes with delicious foods, so there is something for everyone, no matter how much you know about sake.
Here are a couple of fantastic guided tasting sessions you might like to try which let you interact, learn and explore how sake connects with cuisine.
1) The Sparkling Sake Brewery x Paxton & Whitfield Tasting
- Date: Tuesday, May 6th 2025
- Time: 18:30 – 20:00
- Cost: £58
- Location: 93 Jermyn St, London SW1Y 6JE
This unique guided tasting at Paxton’s historic Jermyn Street shop lets you enjoy four handcrafted sparkling sakes from the UK’s own Sparkling Sake Brewery and discover why sparkling sake and cheese are a match made in umami heaven! For booking with details, please click here.
2) Sake for Wine Lovers Masterclass and Guided Tasting
- Date: Wednesday, May 7th 2025
- Time: 19:00 – 21:00
- Cost: £45
- Location: West London Wine School, located inside The Wine Cellars (access via the Big Yellow Storage Company entrance) 71 Townmead Road, Fulham, London SW6 2SG
This class is perfect for those who haven’t had a chance to explore sake in depth yet. You’ll taste 6 premium sake across a range of styles curated specifically to appeal to wine lovers’ palates, and accompanied by fine cheeses selected to showcase sake’s food pairing prowess. For more info and booking, please click here.
3) Sake for Beer Lovers: Pairing Dinner at JÖRO in Sheffield
- Date: Thursday, May 8th 2025
- Time: 18:30 – 21:30
- Cost: £102
- Location: House of JÖRO, 40 Malinda Street, Sheffield S3 7EJ
In this fabulous sake pairing dinner, you’ll taste a special selection of sake curated for those with a love of beer, and get to know about a lot of similarities sake and beer share as well as just how easy and delicious sake is to pair with food! For booking with details, please click here.
Each of the above events promise to be both informative and enjoyableーletting you explore different flavours and aromas for a whole new world of sake. For other events, please check the What’s On page of National Sake Week website. Meanwhile, if you would like to take one step further into the world of Sake, whey not attend the following course to master it?
4) The Sake Scholar Course (3-day intensive course)
- Date: Saturday May 10th, Sunday May 11th and Monday May 12th 2025
- Time: 10:00 – 17:00
- Ticket: CAD $1295 / GBP £730
- Location: West London Wine School, located inside The Wine Cellars (access via the Big Yellow Storage Company entrance) 71 Townmead Road, Fulham, London SW6 2SG
This 3-day scholar course focuses on all aspects of Japanese sake regionality and brings your sake knowledge to the next level. You’ll enhance your ability to sell, purchase or simply enjoy sake more deeply as well as getting the opportunity to meet with like-minded sake enthusiasts from the UK and Europe. For more info and booking, please click here.
National Sake Week 2025: Discounts & Coupons
1) Sake Tasting & Discounts @ Starry Mart
Free in-store tastings between 11:00 and 20:00 on May 10th and 11th and get 25 % off three elegant premium bottles: Mio 300ml, Mio Clear 300ml, and Shirakabe Gura Junmai Daiginjo.
(Starry Mart Canterbury Riverside: Unit 12, The Riverside, Sturry Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1BU | Starry Mart Colchester: 143 Caelum Drive, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8FN | Starry Mart Fulham: 396 North End Rd, London, SW6 1LU)
2) Taste of Japan
From April 9th to May 11th, 10% discount on all Sake with code 2025NSW10%OFF
3) SushiSushi
25% off all sake and drink purchases including sake ware for orders over £30
For Wholesale: NSWWHOLESALE
Usable Discount Link: https://www.sushisushi.co.uk/discount/NSWWHOLESALE
For Non-Wholesale: FREECUPSAKE
Usable Discount Link: https://www.sushisushi.co.uk/discount/FREECUPSAKE
4) Yutaka Shop
20 items will be on discount (14-35% OFF) for whole month of May
Conclusion
National Sake Week 2025 is set to be a fun celebration of Japanese culture and the craft of sake brewing in the UK. With special tastings, interesting demonstrations, and many events scheduled, there is something for everyone—whether you love sake or just want to learn more. This week not only shows how versatile sake is, but also encourages community connections through shared experiences. So, mark your calendars, gather your friends, and dive into the wonderful world of sake.
We hope you get a chance to attend this great event and have a fantastic time! If you would like to know about sake before the event, you might want to check our post of the Japanese Sake: A comprehensive guide. For those who are interested in travel, try exploring our travel section. Or you can head to our Instagram account for posts of delicious restaurants, fantastic festivals, and travel experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is National Sake Week?
National Sake Week is an annual event in the UK to celebrate the artistry and culture of Japanese sake. During this week, many bars and restaurants will hold sake tastings, food pairings, workshops and have special deals on offer. It’s a great chance for everyone to try sake and learn more about its diversity and cultural richness.
When is National Sake Week in 2025?
National Sake Week 2025 is scheduled from Monday May 5th to Sunday May 11th in the UK. Throughout the week, whether you’re new to sake or already love it, you can explore the world of sake and enjoy a variety of fantastic events which will be held across the UK.
Where are National Sake Week venues?
National Sake Week takes place at great venues in London and other cities in the UK, such as Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield. From sake breweries to cozy bars and famous Japanese restaurants, each venue offers a true flavour of Japan in the lively sake scene of the UK.
What activities can I participate in during National Sake Week?
There will be the ceremonial Kagami Biraki to open a sake barrel on May 5th and 6th. You can also watch live demonstrations at sake breweries such as Kanpai Sake Brewery. During National Sake Week, not only you can join in unique sake tastings and delicious pairings, but also you get to socialise with like-minded individuals at a lively cocktail party and fabulous themed dinners while enjoying sake.
Are there any discounts or coupons available during National Sake Week?
During National Sake Week, some shops such as Taste of Japan, SushiSushi, and Yutaka Shop are offering discounts and coupons for you to use online. Make sure to buy your sake bottles at your earliest convenience to get the most benefits. Apart from the above, some retailers like Starry Mart have special offers and free in-store tastings between 11:00 and 20:00 on May 10th and 11th.
