All Reviews for Sake Brewery & Whiskey Distillery

I went to the meeting place prepared for a large group of foreigners, but to my surprise, there was only one guide standing there. My daughter and I participated, and we were lucky to have our own dedicated guide. AKI was wonderful and very knowledgeable. It was a very hot day, but she prepared cold tea and even cool neck wraps, which we greatly appreciated.

We visited six sake breweries, ranging from large to small, and there were several paid tastings included in the tour, which felt like a great deal. Since there were only a few of us, we had the opportunity to have a nice conversation with the toji at Kikumasamune, which was great. My daughter, who loves sake, was very satisfied.

外人さんが大勢参加されると覚悟して集合場所に行きましたが、なんとガイドさんが一人佇んでいました。娘と二人で参加したのですが、我々の専属ガイドをしてもらえました。ラッキー! とても素敵で知識も豊富なAKIさん、大変暑い日でしたが、冷たいお茶にクールネックまで用意してくださり、とてもありがたかったです。
酒蔵は大手から小規模なところまで六ヶ所も見学して、試飲では有料試飲がいくつもツアーに入っていてお得感がありました。人数が少なかったこともあり、菊正宗では杜氏の方とゆっくりお話出来て良かったです。日本酒好きの娘も大満足でした。

Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. I've lived in Japan for over four years and had been on quite a few sake tours, but this one was the best by far. Super easy and comfortable provided you have decent walking shoes. The tour itself had ample opportunities to taste and buy along the way. We also had a surprise stop at an excellent tofu house with probably the best veggie croquette I've had in Japan.

Our main guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, explaining everything in a way that everyone could understand. Additional staff also helped out as our group was slightly larger.

Overall, a wonderful experience and surely everyone with an open mind and palette will have a great time.

Highly recommended.

I was able to sample more than I expected! Honestly, I got a bit drunk...^^; The walking tour was also interesting with various explanations. Thank you very much!

これでもかというくらい試飲できました！正直酔っ払いました...^^;;
まち歩きもいろいろ解説していただいて面白かったです。ありがとうございました！

Hugh our guide was a really nice friendly guy, we got on really well and he was very informative. Unfortunately we were there in the middle of the Covid 19 virus, so many of the breweries were closed, but we did get some tasting done at 3 breweries. The lunch was amazing, some of the best Sashimi we have ever had and the Hotpot was fabulous!
We still had a very nice time and hope more travellers will take this tour when times are back to normal.

We had a wonderful time at this event. The beer was cold, the hotpot was tasty, and the maiko was very nice. I very much recommend this!

This was a great activity. The food and beer was delicious and filling and the entertainment was fantastic. We were able to talk with our Maiko for a few minutes and take a picture with her after her performance. We did not speak very much Japanese (only the very basics), but that did not diminish our experience. We had a great time, and it was nice we didn't have to spend a ton of money on one dinner like some other activities that are available with maiko. I would definitely recommend this if you'd like to meet a maiko and see her perform.

great unique experience! I lived in Japan for 4 years and this was something I never got to do.

Maiko spoke good English, which was a huge relief and surprise. Dance was cool, food was good, and the all you can drink alcohol was too much fun.

The guide was fun and knowledgeable. The tour of the whiskey distillery and sake brewery was great. The sake brewery did not have an English translation but the guide translated for our group. We went to a great spot for lunch that was recommended by the guide. Amazing, I recommend the tour and especially if you need help with translation. Our driver was very friendly and accommodating interacted with the party. Highly recommend the tour.

I heard that Nara has a lot of local sake, but I thought it would be difficult to explore efficiently. Then, I found a great tour and eagerly participated. I was surprised that the taste of sake varies greatly depending on the brewery. I was impressed that the type of sake rice and even the sweetness and richness of table rice differ. At Sharyō-ji, I was able to taste six different kinds of sake while enjoying delicious vegetarian cuisine. In the end, we ran out of time, but it was a very satisfying and enjoyable tour. I ended up buying a lot of sake too.

奈良は地酒が多いと聞いていますが、なかなか効率良く巡ることが難しいなあと思っていたら、良いツアーを見つけてウキウキと参加しました。
蔵によって日本酒の味が全く異なることにびっくり。酒米、酒米の種類、食米でも甘さやこくが異なることに感心。正歴寺では６種のお酒を試飲しながら、美味しい精進料理をいただけました。
最後、時間は押しましたが、非常に満足した、楽しいツアーでした。
お酒もたくさん購入してしまいました。

We were picked up on time by our guide Tom Harada. He was very throughout and thoughtful in planning what we should visit and made all the different sites arrangement efficiently . He is knowledgeable about the itinerary on hand . His approach is filled with dedication and heart . I would recommend to anyone looking for an English speaking guide to reserve Tom Harada. You will not be disappointed.

We had a wonderful experience by participating in this tour. Our young tour guide was excellent. She gave us a very interesting commentary on Nada Sake Brewery and the history of the region including interesting castles around. We had the opportunity of tasting Sake and buying Sake bottles and Japanese confectionaries and souvenirs. She arranged a buffet lunch for us that was the best lunch we had in all our tours in Japan. Fantastic young guide we all would like to extend our great appreciation for her wonderful job. Good luck for her future

For someone like me who loves sake, being able to drink as much as I want of it was a huge draw. Besides sake there were also fruit liquors (apple, peach, chestnut) which were a great palate freshener.
As it is a standing bar I was a bot worried about getting tired because I was wearing heels. But at each table they provided disposable slippers, which was awesome!
As you can bring in your own food, I recommend buying lots of your favorite snacks and yummy things to much while you try all the sake!!!