Breaking the sake barrels

Last year I introduced the Japanese tradition of "kagami-biraki" which happens annually on this day, January 11th. That post was in relation to "mochi", but "kagami-biraki" is also used for opening a barrel of sake. For that reason, a sake brewery in Nara, registered January 11th as Taruzake no Hi, 樽酒の日, to try and tie their sake with this date and the wider known kagami biraki anniversary.

Taruzake (樽酒) is a type of cedar-aged sake that is stored in wooden barrels, specifically from the Yoshino cedar region of Nara Prefecture, Japan. The photo in this post is just of sake barrels, not specifically Taruzake, as I have no taruzake photos in my personal collection. The sake barrels in this post were displayed at Narita Airport for New Year 2026. 

The brewery also chose this date because both acts share the meaning of praying for health, happiness, and success. Have you ever had "taruzake"? What did you think of it?