Generate Buzz With Virtual Sake Tastings and 5 Other Spirited Ideas for Company Get-Togethers

Company happy hours have evolved over the past few years. Your team may work from different cities or states, and you're ready for something more engaging than another icebreaker exercise. Finding interesting ways to connect can help employees feel more engaged and improve company culture.

Spirit tastings consistently perform well because you can tailor them to your specific group instead of delivering a one-size-fits-all experience. Virtual sake tastings work particularly well for corporate groups, along with several other formats.

How These Options Were Chosen

You'll find plenty of companies that ship sake and call it a virtual tasting. The good ones make group bookings straightforward and deliver an experience worth the investment.

These providers teach the material, solve shipping logistics for teams in different states and send sake you'd be happy to pour.

Breweries that are transparent about their production methods and storage practices tend to deliver better results. For corporate bookings, focus on providers who scale easily and understand distributed teams.

1. Takara Sake USA Inc.

Takara Sake USA Inc. has been brewing in Berkeley for decades and offers an educational approach. Rather than replicating a Japanese recipe directly, the brewery adapted traditional methods like koji cultivation and multi-parallel fermentation to California rice, water and climate. It has developed an American sake tradition.

The production involves careful rice washing for each batch, and the brewmaster monitors soaking time down to the minute since it changes with weather conditions.

The brewery produces only Junmai category sake, made from rice, water, koji mold and yeast. Their virtual tasting package includes six bottles ranging from light and dry to rich and sweet, including Sho Chiku Bai Classic Junmai, Sho Chiku Bai REI Junmai Daiginjo and HANA Fuji Apple Flavored Sake.

Participants register for scheduled Zoom sessions, and larger groups should contact Takara to arrange shipping. Junmai can be served at various temperatures and develops richer, more savory notes when warmed.

2. Saketaro's e-Kanpai Experience

If you're looking for a tasting that scales easily, Saketaro designed its e-Kanpai experience to work whether you've got a small group or a corporate team of over a hundred people.

It ships kits with tasting notes ahead of time, and some packages include snacks. The host walks you through brewing history and tasting technique, then opens it up for questions. This format is great for teams that want a structured learning experience with room for interaction.

Sessions typically run about an hour, though timing can be adjusted based on your group's needs.

3. The Koji Club

The Koji Club started as a pop-up sake bar in 2020 and expanded into virtual events when demand picked up. Its tastings include three sake selections and cover aspects of Japanese drinking culture, giving participants context they can use beyond the event itself.

If you're looking for something more elaborate, it also offers sake-paired virtual dinners. Multiple courses are coordinated with specific sake styles, which works particularly well for smaller groups or client entertainment.

Other Spirited Ideas for Company Get-Togethers

Several other formats give you similar flexibility to the sake experience.

1. Whiskey flights: They let you demonstrate side by side how region and barrel aging change the same spirit. This is ideal for teams that enjoy comparing details.

2. Blind cocktail competitions: You can ship unmarked cocktails, walk through what's in each one, let people vote and reveal which was which. This format naturally pulls quieter team members into the conversation.

3. Build your own cocktail kits: These are good for groups with mixed preferences. Participants who want zero proof can follow the same steps with alternative ingredients while you guide everyone through the recipe live.

4. Wine and cheese pairings: With this popular option, you can add some context about why certain flavor combinations work, and it becomes more than just sampling.

5. Beer flights: They cost less than spirits-based events and scale well for bigger crowds. Most breweries handle bulk shipping easily, and beer typically requires less careful storage than sake or wine.

Before You Book

Virtual tastings work when they match your team's interests and the provider handles logistics well. Since alcohol shipping laws vary significantly by state, confirm restrictions before you commit to any format.

If you're coordinating shipments to multiple addresses, budget two to three weeks for the process. The format you choose matters less than whether your group finds it worth their time.

Done well, these tastings will give your team something substantive to discuss beyond the usual small talk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions about virtual sake tastings for company happy hours.

Q: How can I book a virtual sake tasting for my company?

A: Most providers follow a similar process. You'll purchase tasting sets, provide attendee names and emails, and register everyone for a live session. For larger groups, reach out directly so the provider can coordinate shipping.

Q: What's the difference between Junmai and other types of sake?

A: Junmai translates to pure rice and contains only rice, water, koji mold and yeast. Some sake includes a small addition of distilled alcohol during production, called Aruten.

People in the industry tend to view Junmai as more traditional and well-suited for food pairing, which is why certain breweries focus exclusively on that style.

Q: How should sake be stored before and after opening?

A: Keep unopened bottles capped, refrigerated or cool, upright and away from direct light. Most unopened sake is best enjoyed within six months to a year when stored sealed in a cool, dark place. Premium styles like Junmai Daiginjo and flavored sake taste best within a few weeks of purchase.

Once you open a bottle, cap it tightly, refrigerate it and finish it within a few days for optimal flavor.

Q: Can sake be served warm?

A: Yes, especially Junmai. You can pour it cold, at room temperature, warmed to 100 to 105 degrees, or hot. It develops a richer flavor and brings out more umami as the temperature rises.

Q: How far in advance should a company book a virtual tasting?

A: Two to three weeks works for most providers, particularly if you have a larger group and need bottles shipped to multiple addresses.

Get Happy

Virtual sake tastings give company get-togethers more structure than a standard happy hour while still feeling relaxed and interactive. With the right provider, your team can learn about brewing methods, compare flavor profiles and enjoy a shared experience from different locations.

Whether you choose sake, whiskey, cocktails, wine or beer, the strongest events are the ones that match your group’s interests and make participation easy.