Shipping & Returns Terms of Service

Fulfillment timelines

First and foremost, Sunflower Sake is a two-person business that can’t operate at the Amazon fulfillment and delivery pace. We pack every order by hand and ship 1-2x/week with UPS pickups taking place at ~2-4PM. In the case of high temperatures (peak summer, unseasonal heat waves, etc), we will always prioritize timing your shipment to avoid weekend warehousing with the shipper. If this creates a significant delay (>5 days), we will notify you via the email address associated with your order. 

Please note that by purchasing a given shipping method, this does not guarantee it will arrive in the window shown. Any outgoing packages are still subject to aforementioned limitations, and the limitations of the shipping service provider. For instance even by ordering 2-day shipping, please keep in mind it may take 2-3 days to pack and ship for a total time of perhaps 5 days. What we would are guaranteeing with 2-day is that we will select the 2-day shipping rate from UPS.

Urgent orders

 If your needs are urgent, please contact us immediately at hello@sunflowersake.com to see if we can fulfill your order in time. When we know it’s urgent, we try to expedite and we don’t necessarily charge extra for this. If we can’t make it happen in time, we will communicate expectations and timeline so you can make an informed decision on whether to ship, source locally, or the pricing for overnight/overnight early which is not offered by default. We’re always happy to help you find something local to you, too.

Alcohol restrictions

All orders are shipped via UPS. Packages must be received by a 21+ recipient not under the apparent influence of alcohol. By browsing and ordering on the Sunflower Sake website, you affirm that you are 21+. For online orders, your purchase is considered to have been made in the state of Oregon. When we ship, we are performing a subsequent service by arranging shipping for a product purchased in our Portland, Oregon retail shop.

States/counties that do not allow alcohol to be shipped from outside the region are not served. If your state/area doesn’t allow alcohol shipments, we will cancel and refund your order.

Carbon offsets

Optional carbon offsets for all shipments are offered through EcoCart. As of May 2025, the Sunflower Sake community has offset 100,550 lb of carbon across 1054 orders, equivalent to the annual power consumption of nearly 9 average American households, or 117,000 miles driven by an average gasoline vehicle!

Insulation and Ice

Insulated boxes are only available in 6pk and 12pk sizes, and are industry standard polystyrene expanded foam shippers with space for one 24 oz ice pack per 6 bottles. Duratherm is a representative brand, although the brand does vary. The ice stays frozen an average of 48 hours, but it can be shorter or longer depending on conditions. We do not guarantee that the sake will be cold, or the ice will still be frozen, on arrival.

(If you think it’s expensive…we do too! Insulated boxes are a net loss to Sunflower of $3-6/box, more if we consider storage space. We’d love to use 100% recycled materials, but unfortunately our suppliers don’t stock them and our scale isn’t great enough to store multiple pallets.)

Temperature risks

Are wildly overstated. The average person is not going to be able to discern the difference between sake that reached 90F for a few hours, and sake that didn’t. There is no health risk either, even if the sake is unpasteurized. Still, the hottest months of the year we only ship with ice, insulation and 2-day to help lessen the degree of wear. Multiple days above 90-100 can noticeably degrade the sake.

By placing an order any time of year you are implicitly accepting responsibility for temperature fluctuations incurred during shipping, regardless of whether insulation or expedited shipping is selected. Insulation and ice is one safeguard against heat, expedited shipping is another, but neither is guaranteed. As the US lacks affordable end-to-end refrigerated shipping NO system is perfect. Your best choices are having us store your order until the weather cools, or choosing UPS overnight & ice/insulation.

Seasonal Shipping Conditions:

Shipping rates vary throughout the year, depending on the accommodations necessary to deliver in good condition. Please note that even with insulation, ice, and 2-day shipping, sake is still shipped at your own risk. UPS only guarantees overnight shipping, which, with ice and insulation, is the only certain way to ensure cool arrival.

Shipping protocols and rates per case (1-12 bottles) are as follows. Shipping rates are subject to change as costs fluctuate.

Peak Summer (mid-July to early September):

  • Ground (3-10 days in transit) $30 flat rate

  • 2-Day Express (2 days in transit) WITH ice and insulation: $45 flat rate

  • Next Day Air with ice and insulation: $150 flat rate

Packages are shipped M-W or w/ estimated arrival before Saturday to avoid hot weekends in UPS storage. Packages may be held in heatwaves. If hold time exceeds 5 days we will reach out with updates. 

**Except for overnight shipments or express consent to the risks, sparkling nigori nama is not eligible to be shipped in peak Summer heat. These are basically ongoing fermentations, and it's just too risky with respect to leakage and bursting.**

Cool months (October to May): 

  • Ground (3-10 days in transit) $30 flat rate

  • Ground with ice/insulation: $40 flat rate

  • 2-Day Air (2 days in transit) $50 flat rate

  • 2-Day Air with ice/insulation: $60 flat rate

Packages are shipped throughout the week. Namazake is shipped M-Tu unless temperatures are averaging below 45F. Packages may be held in heatwaves.

Warm months (May-July):

  • Ground (3-10 days in transit) $30 flat rate

  • Ground with ice/insulation: $40 flat rate

  • 2-Day Air (2 days in transit) $50 flat rate

  • 2-Day Air with ice/insulation: $60 flat rate

Packages are shipped M-W only to avoid hot weekends in a truck. Namazake is shipped M-Tu unless it’s a close destination (CA/WA). Packages may be held in heatwaves.

Sake Age:

One of the first things you'll learn when reading intro articles about sake (aside from the other myth that good sake is always best served chilled) is that you should always enjoy your bottles within 6 months, 12 months at most, of bottling date and that the bottles should be stored under continuous refrigeration at or near 5C. This is also one of those things you un-learn over time. Sunflower's position is that post-bottling age on sake is not universally negative, that it depends on the particular product and storage conditions, and that evolution in sake (as in wine) can be an interesting and welcome change.

One of the reasons I decided to include a bar in my shop is so that I can check on bottles regularly to ensure good condition. If a bottle hasn't rotated after shelf presence for 1-2 months, at around the 6 & 12 month mark and regularly onward, sake is opened/checked for condition (color, aroma, flavor, hine-ka) & shared at the bar to also get live feedback from customers. Particularly as an American purveyor of Japanese sake, I have to work within the assumption that all sake arrives (at best) 2-6 months from bottling and often longer. So I trust my palate-- as someone who tastes daily, critically and honed through WSET diploma, Advanced Sake Professional and other courses-- and that of my customers and peers to determine quality.

With that said, any bottles marked down are somewhat at your own risk. I toss anything with significant discoloration, and anything I’ve opened at the bar that is clearly past enjoyability.

Anything not marked down, please always let me know if it isn’t tasting/looking right, but please TASTE IT FIRST, don’t go off of date only. If it tastes off I'd very much like the opportunity to make it right.

Here are the rules I follow for inventory management:

  • All sake at Sunflower is sold, discounted or disposed of within 24 months of bottling (junmai/honjozo), ~18 months (ginjo/daiginjo), 12 months (nama) unless age is the intent/ acceptable by design (ex. Hanatomoe nama) or a unique case of delicious-but-unintentionally-aged koshu, for ex. Senkin Classic (in which case vintage will be indicated in the product description).

  • At roughly biannual intervals (January & July) all bottles at the 12 month mark (ginjo/daiginjo), 18 month mark (junmai/honjozo), 8 month mark (nama) are tasted and assessed. These numbers can vary depending also on the supply chain, e.g. if the distributor uses cold chain (40F) or if they only use cool chain (55F).

  • Bottles determined to be in good condition (aromatics within ~80% of usual, very minimal color change, 'true to style,' no off-flavors or aromas broadly classified as hine-ka-- DMTS, aldehyde, microbial or light taint, and tasting very good) are kept at price and closely monitored.

  • Bottles determined to be of good flavor and aroma but with notable evolution, no DMTS, no microbial or light taint, and minimal color change, are marked down 10-50% depending on condition and of course, the condition/age is described honestly on inquiry. When possible the condition is updated and shared on the website as well. Many bottles of this condition are at their best for okan.

  • Bottles determined to have evolved such that they are no longer true to style, or with detectible DMTS, any taint, notable color change, or otherwise just not tasty, are removed from sale entirely.

  • Koshu, already deliberately aged sake, and high acid/high umami styles which can improve with age (ex. yamahai, kimoto, bodaimoto), varieties of rice suited to age (ex. omachi, yamadanishiki) often maintain price and are determined to be of good (i.e. delicious) condition longer than those which depend on volatile esters for style (ginjo, daiginjo, nama). So if you purchase an aged yamahai 2 years past bottling, chances are it has been taste tested and is humming right along happily, and has been marked down simply as a courtesy or to pass on savings from the distributor, so please enjoy it.

  • "Natural" nama, i.e. Yoigokochi Selections & some Floating World, is designed for age & does not follow the above rules. As sake which is ageable and undergoes understood but highly variable aging curves, these are rarely, if ever, marked down, but their condition can vary. Please feel free to send a message and ask about its current condition and I'll let you know how it was tasting the last time it was opened. If you purchase a bottle in an "off" phase, please store it in a cold place and check on it after 3-6 months. One of the unique joys of sake is tracking its evolution through its ups and downs as it ages.