Create Your Own Sake in Kyoto: Blend & Bottle

You blend the sake, you name it, you take it home.

This sake-blending class in Kyoto lets you taste eight carefully selected premium sakes from across Japan, then create and bottle your own original blend to take home. Guided in English by sake-passionate staff in a fully indoor setting near Kiyomizudera, the one-hour experience requires no prior knowledge and works equally well for non-drinkers exploring flavor and aroma. You'll refine your creation twice before finalizing your recipe and naming your bottle.

The experience

What makes this different from a tasting is the making. You start by learning the basics of sake in plain language, then taste eight different types side by side to discover which flavors and aromas you actually prefer. That's the foundation. From there, you choose your favorites and blend them together. This is where the "true alchemy" part happens. You're not following a formula. You're building something that tastes the way you want it to taste.

Once you've mixed your first blend, you taste it and refine it. You get a second pass to adjust the balance, then you finalize your recipe and give your sake a name. The staff bottles your creation in a 200ml bottle that you take home. The whole process takes about an hour and happens in a fully indoor space, which means rain doesn't change the day. The location sits just minutes from Kiyomizudera and Nishiki Market, so it fits easily into an afternoon in that part of Kyoto.

The class is guided in English by staff who know sake deeply. The program was devised by Kenshi Ueyama, Japan's official Sake Ambassador. You'll get a tasting guide to record what you tried and created, plus a bottle of water. No sake knowledge is required, and if you don't drink alcohol, the experience still works: you're learning about flavor and aroma through direct comparison, which is the real skill. The class runs standing-style. If you need a chair, ask before you arrive since a limited number are available.

What’s included

• Eight carefully selected premium sakes from breweries across Japan.
• guided introduction to sake basics in English.
• tasting and comparison of all eight types.
• your own blending and refinement process with two tastings to adjust.
• a 200ml bottle of your finished original blend to take home.
• a tasting guide to record your experience.
• water.

Options for this experience

3 options

Create Your Own Sake: Taste and BlendGuide in English or Japanese · 5 departure times: the first at 12:00, the last at 19:00Lasts 1 hour 20 minutes. Sake: a tasting of 8 types of sake from breweries across Japan. Your own blended sake bottle: you take home a bottle of sake you blended yourself.

Taste and Create Your Sake, Plus MasuGuide in English or Japanese · 5 departure times: the first at 12:00, the last at 19:00Lasts 1 hour 20 minutes, with about 50 minutes of tasting and 10 to 30 minutes for bottling your sake. Sake: a tasting of 8 types of sake from breweries across Japan. Bottle and masu: you take home the sake bottle you blended yourself, plus an acrylic masu cup engraved with the My Sake World logo as a souvenir.

Taste and Create Your Sake, Plus GlassGuide in English or Japanese · 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00Lasts 1 hour 20 minutes, with about 50 minutes of tasting and 10 to 30 minutes for bottling your sake. Sake: a tasting of 8 types of sake from breweries across Japan. Bottle and tasting: you take home the sake bottle you blended yourself, plus a tasting glass engraved with the My Sake World logo as a souvenir.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 12:00, the last at 19:00

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (20 and older) · Under 20: can't be booked

GroupUp to 30 · max 8 per booking

Live guideEnglish and Japanese

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Public transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by My Sake World Kyoto-Kawaramachi

Is this one for you?You're standing in the right place if you want to actually make something rather than just sample it. The blending and naming are yours, and the bottle goes home with you. The one-hour format and fully indoor setting make this work on a rainy afternoon or between other Kyoto stops without needing sake knowledge or even drinking alcohol to enjoy it.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Japanese.

Can I take my blended sake home with me?

Yes. Your finished blend gets bottled in a 200ml bottle that you take with you at the end of the class.

Do I need to know anything about sake before I arrive?

No. The class starts with an easy introduction to sake basics, and tasting eight different types side by side teaches you what you need to know. Even non-drinkers enjoy it because you're learning to recognize flavors and aromas through direct experience.

How long does the whole thing take?

About one hour from start to finish, including the introduction, tasting all eight sakes, blending your own, refining it twice, and bottling your final creation.

What's included in the price?

The eight premium sakes you taste, guided commentary in English, a tasting guide to record what you tried, and your bottled blend to take home. Water is also provided. Additional bottles cost 100 yen each.

Where exactly in Kyoto does this happen?

The class is in Kyoto's Sake District, just minutes from Kiyomizudera temple and Nishiki Market. It's fully indoors, so it works on rainy days. Public transportation options are available nearby.

Can I choose to add a glass or masu cup to my experience?

Yes. At checkout, you can select an option that includes a traditional masu cup or a glass along with the tasting and blending experience.