The annual gathering for sake fans is upon us once again, this time, in conjunction with organiser Orihara Shoten’s (which btw, was voted best sake bar in Singapore by you) 10th anniversary.
Sake Festival Singapore 2019, happening Jun 22 at Suntec City, will be the seventh and largest edition to-date, bringing together more than 460 sake and liquor labels under one convention hall roof for your unlimited tasting pleasure.
Sakes to make a beeline for this year include the Dassai 45, a more polished version of the discontinued Dassai 50; the Phoenix Junmaidaiginjo that’s a collab brew by Tatenokawa with indie-pop French band Phoenix (yup, you read that right); and new-to-market offerings like the Gokka & Reika from Gasanryu.
Expect more food offerings this year too, with stalls selling convenient festival bites like oden, soba and karaage. If you’re really hungry, there’s even a soba eating challenge you can ballot ($1 entry fee) to take part in.,
One big change for regulars to note is how purchases are made. For the first time, all transactions will be cashless. Attendees will have to exchange their tickets for electronic wristbands, which they can then load with credits at stations within the event hall. Payments are then made by tapping the bands at points located at merchant booths.
And because they’re awesome, all wristbands come with free $5 credits upon the first top-up. All the more reason to make sure to buy a bottle (or crate) home.
Sake Festival Singapore 2019 happens Jun 22, 1-6pm at Suntec City Convention Centre Hall 406. Tickets $40-$50, inclusive of free-flow tastings and a special-edition sake cup for the first 1,000 visitors.
