Hakutsuru, Maru Sake, 500ml
Japan's Best-Selling Pack Sake, in a Handy 500ml
Hakutsuru Maru is the everyday sake Japan drinks more of than any other: Hakutsuru's best-selling brand and the number-one selling pack sake in the country. This is the small 500ml size, the easy way to keep a smooth, food-friendly sake to hand without opening a large pack. It is brewed by Hakutsuru, founded in Nada in 1743, from 100% Japanese rice, with a round, gentle umami that takes to warming, chilling or room temperature. The resealable carton makes it simple to pour a glass or measure a splash for the pan.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Right-size pack: 500ml is enough for a couple of servings or a recipe, with no large pack to work through
- Food-friendly: a round, mild umami profile that sits with a wide range of dishes rather than fighting them
- Serve any temperature: good warm, at room temperature or chilled
- Japan's No.1 pack sake: Hakutsuru's best-selling brand, brewed in Nada, Japan's most famous sake district, since 1743
How to Use
- By the glass: pour an everyday sake without committing to a big pack
- Warm or chilled: serve warm in winter, chilled in summer, into a small ochoko cup
- Cooking measure: a handy size for deglazing, marinades and simmering without waste
- Scale up: for regular or volume service, the same sake comes in a 2L pack
Maru, and what futsushu means
Sake is nihonshu (日本酒), and most of what Japan drinks day to day is futsushu (普通酒), the everyday or table grade, rather than the premium ginjo and junmai kept for special occasions. Maru (まる) means circle, or round, a fitting name for a sake built on soft, rounded umami rather than sharp aromatics. It comes from Hakutsuru (白鶴, white crane), founded in 1743 in Nada, the district of Kobe that has been the heart of Japanese sake brewing for centuries. Maru is the brand Hakutsuru sells more of than any other, and this 500ml pack is the everyday expression in its most convenient size.
Learn more: Hakutsuru Sake: Everything You Need to Know
What does Hakutsuru Maru taste like?
Soft and round, with a gentle, savoury umami and a clean finish. At SMV +1 it sits close to neutral, neither markedly dry nor sweet, which is what makes it so easy alongside food. There is little of the fruity, floral aromatics you find in a premium ginjo; this is the comfortable, everyday side of sake, smooth and unfussy. Warmed, it grows rounder and fuller, the classic way to drink an everyday futsushu; chilled, it reads cleaner and lighter. It is a sake to drink rather than to study, which is the point.
Product Details
| Type | Futsushu (普通酒, everyday table sake) / nihonshu |
| Brand | Hakutsuru (白鶴, est. 1743) |
| Origin | Nada, Hyogo, Japan |
| Rice | 100% Japanese domestic rice |
| ABV | 13.5% |
| Sake Meter Value | +1 (close to neutral) |
| Acidity | 1.2 |
| Format | 500ml pack with resealable screw cap |
| Best Served | Warm, room temperature or chilled |
What is futsushu sake?
Futsushu (普通酒) is everyday or table-grade sake, the category that makes up most of what is drunk in Japan day to day. Unlike the premium grades, ginjo and junmai, it is not defined by a set rice-polishing ratio, which keeps it affordable and approachable. It is the sake for casual drinking and for cooking, where a delicate daiginjo would be wasted. Hakutsuru Maru is a well-made example: smooth and food-friendly rather than showy.
Is Hakutsuru Maru best served warm or chilled?
Both work, which is part of its appeal. Everyday futsushu like Maru is the classic style for warming (kan), where gentle heat rounds it out and brings up the umami, ideal in colder months. Chilled, it reads lighter and cleaner for summer drinking. Room temperature is the easy middle ground. For a full breakdown of the named serving temperatures, see our guide to sake temperature.
Should I buy the 500ml or the 2L Maru?
It depends on how much you get through. The 500ml pack is right for occasional drinking, trying it for the first time, or keeping a small amount for cooking, with no large pack to finish. If you pour Maru regularly or serve it by the glass, the 2L pack is far better value per millilitre. Both are the same sake; only the size differs.
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Hakutsuru, Maru Sake, 500ml
Japan's Best-Selling Pack Sake, in a Handy 500ml
Hakutsuru Maru is the everyday sake Japan drinks more of than any other: Hakutsuru's best-selling brand and the number-one selling pack sake in the country. This is the small 500ml size, the easy way to keep a smooth, food-friendly sake to hand without opening a large pack. It is brewed by Hakutsuru, founded in Nada in 1743, from 100% Japanese rice, with a round, gentle umami that takes to warming, chilling or room temperature. The resealable carton makes it simple to pour a glass or measure a splash for the pan.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Right-size pack: 500ml is enough for a couple of servings or a recipe, with no large pack to work through
- Food-friendly: a round, mild umami profile that sits with a wide range of dishes rather than fighting them
- Serve any temperature: good warm, at room temperature or chilled
- Japan's No.1 pack sake: Hakutsuru's best-selling brand, brewed in Nada, Japan's most famous sake district, since 1743
How to Use
- By the glass: pour an everyday sake without committing to a big pack
- Warm or chilled: serve warm in winter, chilled in summer, into a small ochoko cup
- Cooking measure: a handy size for deglazing, marinades and simmering without waste
- Scale up: for regular or volume service, the same sake comes in a 2L pack
Maru, and what futsushu means
Sake is nihonshu (日本酒), and most of what Japan drinks day to day is futsushu (普通酒), the everyday or table grade, rather than the premium ginjo and junmai kept for special occasions. Maru (まる) means circle, or round, a fitting name for a sake built on soft, rounded umami rather than sharp aromatics. It comes from Hakutsuru (白鶴, white crane), founded in 1743 in Nada, the district of Kobe that has been the heart of Japanese sake brewing for centuries. Maru is the brand Hakutsuru sells more of than any other, and this 500ml pack is the everyday expression in its most convenient size.
Learn more: Hakutsuru Sake: Everything You Need to Know
What does Hakutsuru Maru taste like?
Soft and round, with a gentle, savoury umami and a clean finish. At SMV +1 it sits close to neutral, neither markedly dry nor sweet, which is what makes it so easy alongside food. There is little of the fruity, floral aromatics you find in a premium ginjo; this is the comfortable, everyday side of sake, smooth and unfussy. Warmed, it grows rounder and fuller, the classic way to drink an everyday futsushu; chilled, it reads cleaner and lighter. It is a sake to drink rather than to study, which is the point.
Product Details
| Type | Futsushu (普通酒, everyday table sake) / nihonshu |
| Brand | Hakutsuru (白鶴, est. 1743) |
| Origin | Nada, Hyogo, Japan |
| Rice | 100% Japanese domestic rice |
| ABV | 13.5% |
| Sake Meter Value | +1 (close to neutral) |
| Acidity | 1.2 |
| Format | 500ml pack with resealable screw cap |
| Best Served | Warm, room temperature or chilled |
What is futsushu sake?
Futsushu (普通酒) is everyday or table-grade sake, the category that makes up most of what is drunk in Japan day to day. Unlike the premium grades, ginjo and junmai, it is not defined by a set rice-polishing ratio, which keeps it affordable and approachable. It is the sake for casual drinking and for cooking, where a delicate daiginjo would be wasted. Hakutsuru Maru is a well-made example: smooth and food-friendly rather than showy.
Is Hakutsuru Maru best served warm or chilled?
Both work, which is part of its appeal. Everyday futsushu like Maru is the classic style for warming (kan), where gentle heat rounds it out and brings up the umami, ideal in colder months. Chilled, it reads lighter and cleaner for summer drinking. Room temperature is the easy middle ground. For a full breakdown of the named serving temperatures, see our guide to sake temperature.
Should I buy the 500ml or the 2L Maru?
It depends on how much you get through. The 500ml pack is right for occasional drinking, trying it for the first time, or keeping a small amount for cooking, with no large pack to finish. If you pour Maru regularly or serve it by the glass, the 2L pack is far better value per millilitre. Both are the same sake; only the size differs.
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Description
Japan's Best-Selling Pack Sake, in a Handy 500ml
Hakutsuru Maru is the everyday sake Japan drinks more of than any other: Hakutsuru's best-selling brand and the number-one selling pack sake in the country. This is the small 500ml size, the easy way to keep a smooth, food-friendly sake to hand without opening a large pack. It is brewed by Hakutsuru, founded in Nada in 1743, from 100% Japanese rice, with a round, gentle umami that takes to warming, chilling or room temperature. The resealable carton makes it simple to pour a glass or measure a splash for the pan.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Right-size pack: 500ml is enough for a couple of servings or a recipe, with no large pack to work through
- Food-friendly: a round, mild umami profile that sits with a wide range of dishes rather than fighting them
- Serve any temperature: good warm, at room temperature or chilled
- Japan's No.1 pack sake: Hakutsuru's best-selling brand, brewed in Nada, Japan's most famous sake district, since 1743
How to Use
- By the glass: pour an everyday sake without committing to a big pack
- Warm or chilled: serve warm in winter, chilled in summer, into a small ochoko cup
- Cooking measure: a handy size for deglazing, marinades and simmering without waste
- Scale up: for regular or volume service, the same sake comes in a 2L pack
Maru, and what futsushu means
Sake is nihonshu (日本酒), and most of what Japan drinks day to day is futsushu (普通酒), the everyday or table grade, rather than the premium ginjo and junmai kept for special occasions. Maru (まる) means circle, or round, a fitting name for a sake built on soft, rounded umami rather than sharp aromatics. It comes from Hakutsuru (白鶴, white crane), founded in 1743 in Nada, the district of Kobe that has been the heart of Japanese sake brewing for centuries. Maru is the brand Hakutsuru sells more of than any other, and this 500ml pack is the everyday expression in its most convenient size.
Learn more: Hakutsuru Sake: Everything You Need to Know
What does Hakutsuru Maru taste like?
Soft and round, with a gentle, savoury umami and a clean finish. At SMV +1 it sits close to neutral, neither markedly dry nor sweet, which is what makes it so easy alongside food. There is little of the fruity, floral aromatics you find in a premium ginjo; this is the comfortable, everyday side of sake, smooth and unfussy. Warmed, it grows rounder and fuller, the classic way to drink an everyday futsushu; chilled, it reads cleaner and lighter. It is a sake to drink rather than to study, which is the point.
Product Details
| Type | Futsushu (普通酒, everyday table sake) / nihonshu |
| Brand | Hakutsuru (白鶴, est. 1743) |
| Origin | Nada, Hyogo, Japan |
| Rice | 100% Japanese domestic rice |
| ABV | 13.5% |
| Sake Meter Value | +1 (close to neutral) |
| Acidity | 1.2 |
| Format | 500ml pack with resealable screw cap |
| Best Served | Warm, room temperature or chilled |
What is futsushu sake?
Futsushu (普通酒) is everyday or table-grade sake, the category that makes up most of what is drunk in Japan day to day. Unlike the premium grades, ginjo and junmai, it is not defined by a set rice-polishing ratio, which keeps it affordable and approachable. It is the sake for casual drinking and for cooking, where a delicate daiginjo would be wasted. Hakutsuru Maru is a well-made example: smooth and food-friendly rather than showy.
Is Hakutsuru Maru best served warm or chilled?
Both work, which is part of its appeal. Everyday futsushu like Maru is the classic style for warming (kan), where gentle heat rounds it out and brings up the umami, ideal in colder months. Chilled, it reads lighter and cleaner for summer drinking. Room temperature is the easy middle ground. For a full breakdown of the named serving temperatures, see our guide to sake temperature.
Should I buy the 500ml or the 2L Maru?
It depends on how much you get through. The 500ml pack is right for occasional drinking, trying it for the first time, or keeping a small amount for cooking, with no large pack to finish. If you pour Maru regularly or serve it by the glass, the 2L pack is far better value per millilitre. Both are the same sake; only the size differs.
