Kikumasamune's bottled barrel sake turns 60 with a limited-edition design

Kikumasamune Shuzo is based in Nada in Hyogo Prefecture, a well-known sake-producing area on the coast stretching from Kobe to Nishinomiya. On 5 October 2026 the company released limited-design packaging to mark 60 years of bottled barrel sake in its “Kikumasamune Taruzake” series. Sake was once shipped in wooden barrels, and this long-seller, which lets drinkers enjoy the aroma of the barrel simply by opening a bottle, has now reached its 60th year.

1966: bringing the character of the barrel into the bottle

Taruzake is sake that has been put into a barrel made of Japanese cedar so that it takes on the aroma of the wood. In the past, sake was routinely transported in barrels, so cedar-scented sake was an everyday thing. In 1966 Kikumasamune launched a bottled barrel sake that recreated this flavour in a bottle. According to SAKE Street, Kikumasamune is one of the few breweries that still makes its own barrels, and its barrel sake is known for a distinct cedar aroma. The product was originally a honjozo (sake with a small amount of added brewer’s alcohol), but in 2017 it switched to junmai, made only from rice, rice koji and water.

Traditional brush lettering meets red, white and gold

The limited packaging applies to the bottled “Kikumasamune Junmai Taruzake”. A 60th-anniversary logo sits at the bottom left of the label; the company says it expresses the history the barrel sake brand has built up and its gratitude to the customers who have supported it over the years. The design keeps the traditional feel of the earlier label, based on brush lettering that conveys a robust flavour and a white background, while adding red and white, and gold, which are regarded as celebratory colours in Japan.

Pair the cedar aroma with strongly flavoured dishes

In a pairing feature, SAKE Street served this junmai taruzake with firm-boiled eggs dressed in a little mayonnaise and generously sprinkled with sansho pepper. The egg is said to absorb the acidity and richness of the sake, while the lingering sansho echoes the lingering barrel aroma. The idea is that a strongly scented barrel sake is best matched with ingredients that have a similar fragrance.

If you would like to try this sake in Europe, look for the label “Taruzake” at Japanese grocers or importers that handle sake. Even if you cannot get hold of the commemorative label, what is inside is the same classic taste that has lasted 60 years. First smell the cedar at room temperature, then warm it slightly and compare how the aroma changes. It goes well with European home cooking such as smoked fish, herb omelettes and dishes seasoned with black pepper, and for anyone used to wine or whisky matured in wooden casks, it is a good way in to the difference with Japanese wood aromas.