A beginner's guide to sake

Once confined to Japanese restaurants and karaoke clubs, sake has found its way onto drinks lists and supermarket shelves up and down the country. 

Waitrose announced searches on its website for the fermented rice beverage had soared by 241% year-on-year, while plum sake searches have climbed 100% compared with 2023, reported The Times. And it's not just fancy bars adding the drink to their menus: Wagamama, which operates 176 restaurants across the UK, now offers a sparkling sake.

Not a wine, beer or spirit, the alcoholic drink doesn't slot neatly into a category. Brewed in Japan for over 1,000 years, it's made from fermented rice, water, yeast and koji (a traditional fungus used in Japanese cooking). 

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While its strength differs depending on production type, sake typically hovers around the 12-15% ABV mark. Much of its flavour is dictated by the toji (master brewer) who is responsible for picking the rice and yeast variety and overseeing the brewing process. 

The most important step is rice polishing, which comes right at the beginning. Fresh rice is milled to remove the tough outer layer of each grain and reveal its starchy centre. Generally, said Millie West in Esquire, the more polished the rice, "the more delicate the sake, with floral and fruit notes dominating". (These are the pricier, "high-end" bottles; cheaper sakes tend to be punchier with "bold umami" flavours.) 

What temperature should sake be served at? "Well, it depends," said West. Most of the time, it's advised to chill the expensive bottles and heat lower-priced sakes to "smooth out" some of the "rougher notes" and improve the taste. 

If you're after something extra-special, look out for daiginjo or ginjo on the label: these are the top-quality sakes which have had their rice polished at 60% and 50% respectively. 

Whether you already have a taste for the Japanese drink or you're wondering where to start, here are five of the best bottles to try.

Sawanotsuru Deluxe Sake

Georgie Darling in the London Evening Standard recommended this bottle as a "great entry-level" option, perfect for those that want to give sake a go without "throwing themselves forward, full throttle". Crisp and fragrant, it features notes of peach, melon and cherry blossom.

£12.79, thedrinksbasket.com

Akashi-Tai, Junmai Ginjo Sparkling Sake 

This is a nice sparkling option, said Silvia Wu in Decanter, naturally fermented to produce a fizz. Balancing aromas of "freshly steamed sticky rice" and jasmine, it has a refreshing palate of citrus and ripe pear which pairs well with sushi and seafood dishes. The lower than average 7% ABV means it feels "easy to drink and cleansing".

 £15.25, ewwines.co.uk

Kanpai Kumo 'Cloudy' Nigori Sake 

Made near Tower Bridge, London, at the UK's first sake brewery, this award-winning bottle was chosen by the editorial team at Good Housekeeping as its pick for the best cloudy sake. Aged on the lees and bottled with some fine rice sediment remaining, it has a "balanced funkiness that's rounded out by a melon sweetness, ending with a yoghurt-like finish".

£17, kanpai.london 

Gekkeikan Nouvelle Junmai Ginjo Sake

A "slightly more intense" sake with a florid and fruity aroma, Darling in the Evening Standard said this is best served chilled or at room temperature with flavourful foods like yakitori chicken to "balance its heavy notes". If its "perpetual sold-out nature is anything to go by", this is a crowd pleaser.

 £24.79, wholesale.japancentre.com 

Tosatsuru Brewery Azure Ginjo Sake

Made with mineral-heavy water from a deep-sea spring which is desalinated and brewed with premium yamada nishiki rice, this "extremely light" sake is bursting with notes of green apple, sorbet and citrus, said West in Esquire. It "pairs beautifully" with seafood and is best served chilled right down like a Chablis.

£42, harveynichols.com