Kanpai is the odd one out on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, and that’s the point: it’s the UK’s first sake brewery, founded in 2016 and now brewing on Druid Street using London water and rice imported from Japan and the US. Sumi is their signature Junmai (pure rice, no added alcohol) sake, made in a traditional style built for modern drinking.
Sumi (Tokubetsu Junmai Sake) at a glance
| Brewery | Kanpai London, 48 Druid Street, Bermondsey, London (the UK’s first sake brewery) |
| Style | Tokubetsu Junmai Sake |
| Rice | Gohyakumangoku, polished to a 70% seimaibuai (polishing ratio) |
| ABV | Around 15% |
| Size | 375ml / 40cl bottle |
| Serving temp | Good chilled at 10C, or warmed to around 45C |
| Where we found it | Kanpai’s own taproom and shop on Druid Street |
How it tastes, by the numbers
Sumi is brewed from Gohyakumangoku rice polished to a 70% seimaibuai, meaning 30% of the outer grain is milled away before brewing. That’s a relatively gentle polish by premium sake standards, which leaves more of the protein-rich outer grain intact and pushes the sake toward a richer, more umami-heavy profile than a highly polished Daiginjo would give you.
The full review
Kanpai describes Sumi as a ‘contemporary session sake’, and that tracks: it’s built to be easy to drink rather than an occasion-only bottle. Expect orchard fruit on the nose, apple and pear rather than anything tropical, backed by a rounder, more savoury body than most sake drinkers expect from a bottle shop shelf.
The gentler rice polish is doing real work here. Because more of the grain’s protein survives into the brew, Kanpai’s own brewers point to a higher amino acid content, which reads on the palate as umami and a slightly savoury, almost salty edge once you pair it with food. It’s fruity up front, but the finish leans savoury rather than sweet.
Served chilled at around 10C, it drinks clean and light. Warmed to 45C, the body fills out and the umami character comes forward more, which is the more traditional way to drink a Junmai like this and arguably where Sumi shows best.
Orchard fruit on the nose, a fuller, more savoury body than a highly polished sake, and a finish that leans umami rather than sweet: a genuinely different stop on the Mile.
- Brewed within the UK, in Bermondsey, using traditional Japanese technique with London water and imported rice
- The 70% polish gives it a richer, more umami-forward character than most sake sold in UK bottle shops
- Works both chilled and warmed, so it’s flexible depending on what you’re eating alongside it
- A genuinely different stop on a beer mile otherwise built entirely around hops and malt
- At around 15% ABV, it’s stronger by volume than anything else on the Mile, easy to underestimate next to 4-5% beers
- Sake isn’t to everyone’s taste if you’re expecting the citrus/hop profile of the rest of the route
- 375ml bottles are a different format and price point to a can or pint, worth factoring in if you’re doing the crawl on a beer budget
Who it is for
Sumi is for anyone doing the Bermondsey Beer Mile who wants to break up a run of pale ales and IPAs with something genuinely different, or anyone curious about UK-brewed sake. It’s less suited to a quick, cheap round, given the ABV and bottle format.
Sumi (Tokubetsu Junmai Sake) FAQs
What is Kanpai’s Sumi sake?
Sumi is Kanpai London’s signature Tokubetsu Junmai sake, brewed on the Bermondsey Beer Mile from Gohyakumangoku rice polished to 70%, using London water and traditional Japanese brewing technique.
What does Kanpai Sumi taste like?
It has orchard fruit aromatics (apple and pear), a fuller, more savoury body than a highly polished sake, and a finish that leans umami rather than sweet.
How strong is Kanpai Sumi?
It’s around 15% ABV, considerably stronger by volume than the beers elsewhere on the Bermondsey Beer Mile.
Where can I buy Kanpai Sumi?
Kanpai’s own taproom and shop at 48 Druid Street sells it by the glass and bottle, and it’s also available through their online shop.
Kanpai’s Sumi is a London-brewed sake not sold through US delivery apps. Hakutsuru Junmai Sake is a comparable US-available Japanese sake.
Where to buy Sumi (Tokubetsu Junmai Sake)
Kanpai’s taproom at 48 Druid Street pours it by the glass, and their online shop sells 40cl bottles for takeaway; check their site for current stock since small-batch sake runs do sell out.
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The verdict
Sumi is a genuinely well-made Junmai sake that happens to be brewed in a London railway arch, and it earns its stop on the Mile rather than being included as a novelty. The gentler rice polish gives it more body and umami than most sake in this price range, and it works both chilled and warmed.
