A Beginner’s Guide to Sake: Celebrate International Sake Day at Roji-Cat

From light and refreshing pours to richer, more complex styles, there is a whole world of flavour waiting to be explored.

International Sake Day falls on 1 October each year, bringing people together in Japan and around the world to celebrate one of the country's most iconic drinks. Japan Sake Producers Association

This year, Roji-Cat is keeping the celebration going on 3 and 4 October, giving Gold Coast locals a chance to taste, learn and discover sake in the relaxed atmosphere of our Miami laneway.

Whether sake is already your drink of choice or you have never known what to order, International Sake Day is the perfect excuse to try something new. With $15 sake paddles, a $45 sake and food pairing, $8 sake bombs and the chance to win a premium bottle of sake, there are plenty of ways to join in.

What Is Sake?

One of the biggest misconceptions about sake is that it is a type of spirit. It is actually a brewed alcoholic drink, traditionally made using rice, water and koji. Koji plays an essential role by helping break down the starch in rice into sugars that yeast can then ferment into alcohol. Japan Sake Producers Association

What makes the process particularly interesting is that this conversion of starch into sugar and fermentation into alcohol happen simultaneously, in a technique known as multiple parallel fermentation. Japan Sake Producers Association

But you do not need to understand the science to appreciate what's in your glass.

Sake can range from clean and delicate to fruity, floral, savoury or rich. Some styles are best enjoyed chilled, others can be served warmer, and different varieties can completely change character alongside food.

That variety is exactly what makes a tasting paddle such a good introduction.

How to Taste Sake Without Overthinking It

Forget complicated tasting rules. When trying sake, start by noticing a few simple things.

First, take in the aroma. Some sake can have subtle notes that remind you of fruit or flowers, while others lean towards rice, earthier aromas or more savoury characteristics. Sake can have surprisingly fruity aromas depending on how it is produced. Japan Sake Producers Association

Then take a sip and think about the texture. Does it feel light and crisp or rounder and richer? Is the finish dry, gently sweet or somewhere in between?

Most importantly, notice what you enjoy.

For Roji-Cat's International Sake Day celebration, you can choose from two curated $15 sake paddles and learn a little about each pour as you taste your way through them.

It is an easy way to compare different expressions side by side without needing to know your junmai from your ginjo before you arrive.

Why Different Sakes Taste So Different

If sake begins with a relatively simple combination of rice, water and koji, how can one bottle taste so different from another?

A lot happens between the grain and the glass.

The variety of rice, how much the rice is polished, the water, koji, yeast, fermentation temperature and decisions made throughout the brewing process can all influence the final flavour and aroma. Japan Sake Producers Association

Rice polishing is one term you are likely to encounter when exploring sake. Before brewing, the outer layers of the rice grains can be polished away to different degrees. While highly polished rice is associated with categories such as ginjo and daiginjo, a greater degree of polishing does not automatically mean a sake is “better”; it helps shape its style and flavour profile. Japan Sake Producers Association

That's why tasting a few varieties next to one another can be more useful—and more fun—than simply reading the label.

Sake and Japanese Food: Finding Your Pairing

Sake really comes into its own when there is food on the table.

Unlike choosing a drink based on rigid rules, pairing sake with Japanese food is about noticing how flavours and textures interact. Sake generally has lower acidity and more umami than wine, which helps explain why it can work across a broad range of dishes. Japan Sake Producers Association

Something lighter and cleaner can sit beautifully alongside delicate flavours, while fuller or more savoury sake can hold its own next to grilled dishes, richer sauces and umami-heavy plates.

At Roji-Cat, Japanese-inspired share plates make experimenting particularly easy. Order a few different dishes for the middle of the table and notice how the same sake changes from one bite to the next.

For International Sake Day, we're taking some of the guesswork out of it with a $45 sake + food pairing, giving you a chance to experience how the right combination can bring something different out of both the food and the drink.

What Is International Sake Day?

International Sake Day, or Nihonshu no Hi, is celebrated on 1 October each year and has become an occasion for sake lovers around the world to raise a glass together. The date also falls around the beginning of the traditional sake brewing season in Japan. Japan Sake Producers Association

Sake has long held a place in Japanese celebrations, ceremonies and social gatherings, making the idea of coming together over a glass particularly fitting. Japan Sake Producers Association

In 2026, Japan's official sake industry celebrations extend beyond 1 October, with “Kampai with Sake Week” running from 26 September through 4 October. Japan Sake Producers Association

So, naturally, we're stretching the celebrations into the weekend too.

Celebrate International Sake Day at Roji-Cat

On Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, we're bringing International Sake Day to Roji-Cat in Miami with two days dedicated to tasting, discovering and enjoying sake.

Start with one of our two curated sake paddles for $15, tasting your way through different pours while learning a little about what's in your glass.

Hungry? Go further with our $45 sake + food pairing and experience the two together.

Want something a little less serious? There will also be $8 sake bombs across the celebration.

And because it would not be Roji without a little fun, you'll also have the chance to win a premium bottle of sake.

You don't need to know anything about sake before you walk through the door. That's the whole point. Come curious, bring a mate and discover which style deserves a spot in your next round.

International Sake Day at Roji-Cat (book your table here)
3–4 October 2026
$15 Sake Paddles | $45 Sake + Food Pairing | $8 Sake Bombs

Make a weekend of it and celebrate International Sake Day the Roji way. Grab your crew, find us down the laneway in Miami and taste your way through our sake selection on 3–4 October. Kanpai!