Top 15 High-End Luxury Sake Brands and Breweries

SAKE is a Japanese rice wine made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Unlike wine, in which alcohol (ethanol) is produced by fermenting sugar that is naturally present in grapes, sake is produced by a brewing process more like that of beer, where the starch is converted into sugars before being converted to alcohol.

The brewing process for sake differs from the process for beer in that, for beer, the conversion from starch to sugar and from sugar to alcohol occurs in two discrete steps. Like other rice wines, when sake is brewed, these conversions occur simultaneously. Furthermore, the alcohol content differs between sake, wine, and beer. Wine generally contains 9%-16% ABV, while most beer contains 3%-9%, and undiluted sake contains 18%–20% (although this is often lowered to about 15% by diluting with water prior to bottling).

Sake News, Reviews & Resources

• 10 Amazing Japanese Sake You Must Drink - "There are so many brands of Japanese Sake and sometime It is difficult to choose a good one. So We will introduce 10 brands of Japanese sake Which you can choose from so you dont make a mistake."
• 10 Best Sake Brands to Try in 2021 - "The following list of the 10 best sake brands exemplifies great tasting sake types, with the exception of kutsushu table sake (very cheap sake) and the unpasteurized organic Nama-sake style."
• 10 Sake-Based Recipes To Brighten Up Your Favorite Cocktails - Forbes.
• After wine, is sake the new drinkable investment? - The Telegraph.
• eSAKE - Premium Japanese Sake.
• Glossary of sake terms - Wikipedia.
• History of Sake - SakeGuru.
• Japan's top sake brewers share their secrets - "Where to find the world's best sake."
• Master brewer: the woman excelling in Japan's male world of sake - "Miho Imada has won international acclaim as a tôji, or master brewer of the traditional Japanese tipple."
• RICE WINE - Wikipedia.
• SAKE - Wikipedia.
• Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales - "Sake is gathering new fans all over the world, but back in its home market, the Japanese are losing interest."
• Sake Experience 2021 - "HYPER JAPAN’s popular sake tasting event, Sake Experience, is now available online for the first time. Buy a Sake Experience Tasting Box by your favourite sake brewery and join us for an exclusive online session."
• SAKE GURU - since 2011. "The most comprehensive sake dictionary available."
• SAKE SOCIAL - "The largest online retailer of Japanese Sake." All our Sakes.
• SAKE WORLD - "All you need to know about Sake." Types of Sake, ratings, reviews, online store, professional courses, and more.
• TRUE SAKE - "America's Premier Sake Store."
• URBAN SAKE - "Sake News, Education, Events and More!"
• Where to find the world's best sake - CNN travel.

Top 15 High-End Sake Brands & Breweries

• Akashi-Tai Honjozo Tokubetsu - "Founded in 1856, the Akashi-Tai brewery specialises in artisan sakes that are as enduring as the seabream logo stamped onto the bottles. The brewery chose the fish for its symbol because they believed it represented hardiness, strength of character and drive to keep swimming against the current."
• DAISHICHI SAKE BREWERY - established in 1752.
• Dassai - "We brew sake for sipping." With more than 50% of the rice grain removed so only the pure core remains. This means that you tcan enjoy a truly clear taste.
• Hakkaisan Daiginjo - "Our brewers hone their skills by continuing to craft the highest quality sake, year after year. For this Daiginjo, Yamadanishiki and Gohyakumangoku sake rice are carefully selected and polished down to 45% remaining. All the koji is handmade and this sake is brewed with an especially pure snowmelt mountain stream water, which is known as Raiden-sama no Mizu or water of the god Raiden."
• Hakkaisan Junmai Daiginjo - "Hand made all Koji, and spring water from melted snow - 'pure water of the god Raiden' is used to brew this Junmai Daiginjo."
• Hiroki Sake Brewery - "Fukushima’s Rejuvenated Sake Star."
• ICHINOKURA brewery - leading sake brewery in Japan, was founded in 1973.
• ISOJIMAN PREMIUM SAKE - "Born from the harmony between carefully selected sake rice, excellent water (soft water) from the South Alps in Japan, and the brewers."
• JUYONDAI SAKE - "Juyondai is one of the most sought after sake brand in the market due to its glamorous and mysterious reputation in the sake world. Whoever tasted it would agree that Juyondai takes Japanese sake to another level one could ever imagine. Elegant with a very fruity with a clear woody fragrance. This woody smell divides opinions with many loving it."
• Kenbishi Sake Brewing Co. - since 1505. Known as the first sake brewery to be branded in Japan. In days of old, Kenbishi was very popular sake enjoyed by samurai. On the eve of major military battles.
• Kikusui SAKE CO. - "Everything we do is for the love of Sake." Founded in 1881, a relatively young brewery, Kikusui is still run by the same family under the current 5th generation President. Our sake is very light and dry. Sparkling type is also available.
• KOKURYU SAKE - "If we make good sake, people will support it." That’s been our motto since Kokuryu was founded in 1804 in the mountains of Fukui.
• Koshi no Kanbai - "Koshi no Kanbai is made in the heart of Niigata, the most renowned sake-producing region in all of Japan. The pristinely cold, snowy winters contribute to making this the idea environment for craft sake brewing, and the history and culture of the region define its character and terroir."
• KUBOTA HEKIJU SAKE - "100 Ostentatious-nesses." Clean, Dry, Crisp, & Cutting.
• Mizubasho Ginjo - "Mizubasho is brewed from water that began as snow and rainfall that was then filtered slowly through the ground before being pumped up in Kawaba, a small village. Like the distance traveled by the water, drinking Mizubasho takes you on a journey. From the heady, mixed-fruit aroma to the perfect amounts of umami and dryness, this sake is sure to satisfy. Be sure to relish the flavor by serving chilled."
• Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten - "Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten was founded in 1869 near the Suzuka Mountains. The area was thriving with breweries but this is the last one left. Led by a toji who was born and raised in the area, the brewers choose to create their sake in a more natural way. They focus on small batch starters with all koji made by hand. They also put their sake through a much longer fermentation period than normal in order to achieve a more delicate and fragrant aroma. With 100% effort put into every batch, the brewers create wonderful sake with no regrets."
• Suisen Shuzo "Kibo" Junmai One Cup Sake - first ever sake to be distributed to the US.