The best way to drink Japanese sake? From an edible squid bottle!

After this taste test, you’ll never want to go back to using regular drinking vessels again.

Being the sake-loving reporters that we are, there’s no end to the unusual sake experiences we’re willing to try. Whether it be pairing rice-wine Kit Kats with their liquid inspiration or mulling over flavour notes from Dassai matcha sake truffles, we’re constantly chasing after the next big thing in the world of Japanese sake. This time we’ve caught up with one of most unique experiences available on the market, and it comes in the form of this weird edible container.

While it might look like a dried fruit, this is actually a bottle made from dried squid. And the beauty of the new product is twofold: not only is it designed to work as a sake pourer, but it’s entirely edible, which means you can munch on it as a snack while you enjoy the drink that’s been poured from it.

▼ The Squid Sake Bottle won a Japan Gift Award in 2015 for its unique and creative design.

When we opened up the product and took the Squid Sake Bottle out of its packaging, we were immediately greeted with the intense aroma of dried cuttlefish. According to the instructions on the leaflet, it’s best to fill the bottle with hot sake, as this helps to imbue the liquid with the pleasurable flavour of squid, but this year’s intense summer heat had us hankering for a hit of cold sake instead.

We filled the bottle up with cold sake and waited a couple of minutes before pouring it out into a glass. We weren’t expecting much, but as soon as we took our first gulp, we surprised to find that the sake had transformed quite noticeably, giving off a delicious smoky squid flavour. For those who really like squid, we recommend leaving the sake in the bottle for around an hour for a deeper flavour, but seeing as the bottle can be used numerous times, the taste becomes more and more noticeable each time you use it.

Once you’ve used the bottle to your liking it’s then time to help the bottle reach its full flavour potential, by lightly toasting it over an open flame. This fun step helps to transform the sake bottle into a delicious snack, which can be cut up into bite-sized pieces and served up with a dollop of seasoned mayonnaise.

This was a fantastic addition to the squid-flavoured sake, and had us immediately thinking about purchasing another bottle for next time. If you’d like to try the Squid Sake Bottle for yourself, keep your eyes peeled at stores around the Sanriku Coast in Iwate Prefecture, where it’s sold as a special local product for around 1,500 yen (US$13.54), or alternatively you can purchase one online from Rakuten. And if you’re looking for something to fill your edible bottle with, you might want to head down to Tokyo’s Jimbocho, where you can choose from 50 types of all-you-can-drink sake to pair with your squid container.

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