The English sake tour and tasting was an utter disappointment and overall unpleasant due to the guide’s (Jorge/George) arrogance. I would not recommend this tour at all, but the sake itself tasted fine. Throughout the tour, Jorge went on and on about how one of his previous customers couldn’t follow his instructions on pressing the right button on the Sake Vending Machine. He went as far as pointing out that the customer was “A woman from Germany” which in my opinion is an unnecessary detail. I don’t understand why they do not pour directly for the tasting experience. The vending machine system is tasteless and not personable. Overall very disrespectful towards customers who are trying to learn a little bit about Japanese Sake.

We had an English language tour lead by George. It was on point and informative, nice atmosphere. We tasted 4 nama sakes, unpasteurized. All were delicious. Good explanations about them. Then you can have more based on loading up a card. The bottles are quite expensive, everything is made by hand. Good experience, 2000 yen per person, not cheap, not overly expensive. Easy booking by site.

We had an amazing time in this almost 200 year old Sake Brewery. The guided tour was very enjoyable even though the space is very small (we were only 6 people so not crowded). Machines are new and you don't get to actually SEE the process, but you can a derailed explanation of how the process goes from rice to sake. It is important to remark thar our guide was native English speaker so we could understand everything on the tour. The guided tour costs 2,000 yen (about 13 euro) which includes a tasting of four sakes with different characteristics. I liked the four sakes (to my surprise) as this sake is not like anything you can try in the western. Highly recommended.

We’ve been a long patron of their sake ever since we tried it during our trip to Kyoto before Covid. We can easily say this was our favorite sake in Japan because of its amazing taste. However, our first visit to their brewery since the pandemic has been nothing but disappointment. While the Japanese staff tried their best to communicate and did an amazing job trying to explain the nuances of the sake rice, their operation, their rich history, etc., the English-speaking staff, George, was incredibly arrogant. Since he was the first person to greet us, we had lots of questions regarding different aspects of the brewery, the sake differences. He, being the only fluent speaker, did not care to provide us with any meaningful information regarding the brewery and its sake. When asked about the sake differences we will be tasting in their machines, his response was “try it and you will know”. Being a representative of this sake brewery, his attitude was downright unprofessional. What was even more disgusting was there happened to be Japanese/ English bilingual exporters that visited and his attitude did a full 360 towards them. We sat with the exporters at the bar, and he was enthusiastically explaining every aspect of the sake. To treat one customer with rudeness and to treat another with respect, the encounter with this staff soured our first and last visit to this brewery. As we left, we lodged a complaint to their manager as one person’s attitude marring the face of a fine establishment is saddening.

Visited them while in kyoto and we showed up wanting a tour without knowing that we need a reservation. But thanks to a group of gentlemen who had one, we managed to tag along. Big shout to George and his colleagues for being so accommodating n helpful even though we had children with us. The tour was conducted in English and he explained the making of their sake, as well as the characteristics of the different sakes during the tasting very well. We paid ¥1500 each for the tour n tasting of 3 sakes. We had the namazake sake (unpasteurized sake) and it was a very pleasant experience for us. It was very educational, at least for myself, and it’s worth a visit for sake lovers when visiting Kyoto! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Sake was very tasty and it was fun using the vending machines, the beginning instructions are a little unclear but the Japanese staff were very helpful. The white guy (George? I guess?) completely ignored us and shooed us away from the bar to chat with friends instead.

Great tasting, English friendly. 15th generation sake brewery. Quiet and unassuming area and storefront, but delicious and worthwhile. Had an informative tasting, with no pressure to buy. Owner gave the tasting himself and answered all of our questions. He explained the process of making sake, provided informative English handouts and opened up bottles just for us to try. Ended up with 3 bottles because we were all so impressed. Wish they distributed to the US, as they only distribute in Kyoto. Per images: Little bottle has gold flakes in it and is the official sake of the golden temple (Kinkakuji) that they use for their tea ceremonies. Bigger bottles were different types of sake brewed there.

We wanted to visit a sake brewery and needed a break from walking around. We did the 5 sake tasting and learned a lot about different sake types. They were able to explain the differences in the processes and tastes in detail, which was fascinating and allowed us to continue to explore different sakes the rest of our time in Japan. We really enjoyed the ones we tried, and bought a bottle so that we can enjoy it once we return home. It is a family brewery with very friendly staff. It was a highlight of our visit to Kyoto and we highly recommend visiting!

The “black” sake was one of the best we’ve ever had. Ended up buying a bottle and will drink it on a special occasion.

A mini, family owned, sake brewery that can be great add to a visit in north-east Kyoto. Provides Sake testing and a short tour. The tour requires reservation in advance because the place is working. Total of 45min-1H. We received explanations about the brewery and the sake making process from Jiemon Matsui which is very friendly, professional and fluent in English. Will certainly visit again to buy more sake :-) on our next visit to Kyoto.

A must visit. Loved by foreigners and locals alike. And for good reason. This place is unforgettable. From the custom service, to the sensational sake that is brewed with Kyoto's delicious well water ... My favorite sake brewery visit throughout my trip to Japan. Great place for souvenirs as well. Take some unique sake back for everyone

Had an amazing tour with George the brewer dude. He was very knowledgeable and it was cool learning about Sake. Got to taste four different sakes which was great. The value for the sake was amazing too. I thought it might be crazy expensive but no it was good prices. 10/10 would recommend to anyone interested in Japanese culture or in booze

We had a great tour at a craft suki brewery. Quick to respond to an email inquiry for 9 of us. It was a great tour for those that knew nothing and those that had some knowledge. And even if you don't do the tour/tasting, they have a great tasting room.

Staff was so helpful and kind. They have some people who can speak English if you need help but it's simple. You fill up a card you buy and dispense the amount of sake you like. The fresh live sake was amazing and the shop was so cute. The artwork mascots are beautiful.

Delicious sake. Informative tour and tasting. Sake tour guide asked that I leave brewery to wait for my tour party instead of offering me a seat at the bar. Confused by this but had a lovely time gazing at the river while I waited to be called back.

My friend and I had a fantastic time learning about and sampling various sakes. George is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Definitely recommend stopping by when you’re in Kyoto and leave room in your suitcase!!

Had an amazing time trying different types of sake. The server was informative and spoke English as well! The owner came over and talked about the process and gave some interesting insight. I picked up a bottle to bring home. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Kyoto.

Lovely boutique brewery. I thought their work was spectacular and very well priced. The owner was very friendly and did a wonderful job talking me through his range. Do yourself a favour and make a side trip to visit Matsui.

5 of us did the saké tour. The owner (who is a 15th generation inherited) gave us an English guided tour of the brewery out the back, followed by a personal tasting of 5 different types with generous servings. Multiple merchandise options. You can get very tipsy at a very affordable price.

Stopped in for a sake 🍶 tasting. The head brewer guided us through the 5 different styles. We tried mainly unfiltered, undiluted, and unpasteurised sakes. The Kagura Daiginjo was our favourite. Plus, a bonus snack of smoked scallops.

Great place to learn about sake, the brewery is very small as such the group is very small you get a personal touch by the guide about the process of the sake making. After the tour you get a few glasses to drink their sake.

Go, if for no other reason than to try their unpasteurized sake. It's delicious.

We visited this brewery on a whim for something to else to do in Kyoto and were blown away by the entire experience. Our tour guide, and sommelier, Jorge was extremely detailed and friendly as he explained to us each step of how sake is made and what makes them unique to other breweries. Afterward, we were provided four different tastings and how they differ from each other. Jorge was excellent in his level of detail and answered any questions that we had. We enjoyed his tour so much we bought several bottles to take home with us! Would 100% recommend doing a tour here if you are in the area. Even if you know nothing about sake (like us), it was extremely fun and informative. Not to mention refreshing and good tasting.

Awesome experience. I loved the detailed explanation of the various sake and the types available for trying. English speaking sommelier was a +1

The oldest sake brewery in Kyoto making some of the tastiest nihonshu in the world! You can come get a card and taste almost all of the varieties in-store. It looked like an English language tasting was also available too!

Matsui was a random find but I'm glad we did find it. A great experience to try many different types of sake, with informative and friendly staff. Their payment system works by charging a card with cash, which you can then use on the vending machines to deliver whatever style of sake you want into your glass. We knew nothing about sake before entering; we left wanting to get home and become "sake drinkers".

Amazing experience. Just stopped in and got the crash course in sake. If you want to see production/ do the tour you do have ti email I’m advance. But it’s a great bar just to cool off and drink at. 300 years running, they have to be doing something right.

Great system to try all the sakes old & new and even some premium, the guy behind the bar had perfect English and explained the history of sake, irish couple 🇮🇪

This has got to be one of the best breweries I’ve been to. The sakes here are absolutely out of this world and I wanted to reload my card for more. Shoutout to the guide there, who spoke great English, and helped walkthrough the history of the venue and drinks we had.

A stylish sake tasting place with brewing tanks and light snack choice. A couple of nigori-sakes (hazy) are available for cash, but many others are only for non-refundable tokens. Sakes have unique flavors and a number of celebrities visited there. They boast soft water. Sake bottles are sold at relatively high prices. A little bit distant from downtown without parking lot.

We came here with my family of 8 an hour before closing on 12/28 and the staff was very accommodating. We were very thankful that two customers offered to move down the bar to fit us all. We really liked the “pour-your-own” sake setup. A couple of the tap lines had some air leaks during the pours, but a server gladly helped us compensate and top off our sake for the fair price. Great location and would recommend to others!

Must Try While In Kyoto! Excellent Sake and very relaxing environment. My 1st Sake Brewery. ARIGATŌ!