Sake

About

About our Japanese Sake collection Commonly found in Japanese restaurants and served in traditional sake cups , this drink - also known in the UK as “Japanese rice wine” - is a big part of Japanese life. Our Japanese sake range has been carefully selected from five of the finest brewers in Japan. Boasting well over a thousand years of sake production between them, these are masters of their art. Choose from a pure rice, fuller-bodied junmai ; a highly polished, refined and aromatic daiginjo ; a cloudy and creamy nigori ; a fruity, delicate and crisp ginjo ; a flavoursome, smooth, medium-bodied honjozo ; or a fruit-filled, syrupy umeshu or tart yuzushu . Whatever your preferences or familiarity with this traditional yet versatile drink, we stock a wide selection of styles and taste profiles – from sake styles that are clean and floral with melon, pear or apple notes, to others that are more earthy and deeply umami-driven with a richer rice character. If you’re new to the world of sake, the simple distinction between popular types is this: junmai sake is often fuller-bodied and well suited to food because of its umami depth without acidity, whereas ginjo and daiginjo styles tend to be lighter and more aromatic. Nigori sake offers a cloudier, creamier texture that's particularly approachable for people newer to sake, and for those who prefer a fruity sweetness and/or tartness in their drinks, umeshu and yuzushu sake styles are made with syrupy umeshu plum and refreshing yuzu respectively. How is Japanese Sake made? Japanese sake is brewed using four main ingredients: rice, water, yeast and koji mould. Although often referred to as rice wine, the brewing process is actually closer to beer production because the starches within the rice first need to be converted into sugars before fermentation can begin. The process starts with milling the rice to remove the outer layers of the grain, and how much rice is removed has a major influence on flavour and quality. More highly