Sake has played a pivotal role in Japanese culture and cuisine for well over two millennia. Also known colloquially as nihonshu, sake is essentially the fermented juice of cooked rice. While it was once perceived as an old-fashioned drink for old men, in recent decades sake has undergone a rapid shift in how it is perceived by the public. It is now a hip and cool drink, and manufacturers have taken advantage of the demand by producing high quality, unique, and significantly more expensive sakes for the masses. Some of these premium sakes can reach truly incredible prices, as we explore in the list below.
• Juyondai | Up to ¥400,000 ($3,650)
Juyondai is the crème de la crème of the sake world. In some stores, it is literally chained and padlocked to deter theft. Produced by the Takagi Shuzo brewery, Juyondai’s recipe is a relatively recent tweak of a six-century old family recipe. Aficionados claim that Juyondai has a distinctive bold floral aroma, with hints of melon and green apple. Juyondai is made using a premium quality short-grain rice, Yamada Nishiki, and has a 16% alcohol content.
Who knew fermented rice could produce the flavor of grapes and melons? Image courtesy of Pixabay
• Isojiman | Up to ¥9.3 million ($85,000)
Isojiman is the champagne of the sake world—it is made exclusively from rice cultivated and harvested from three specific rice fields in Hyogo. Connoisseurs claim that Isojiman features unique notes of butternut and beet. The brand achieved national prominence after it was selected by foreign dignitaries for the toast at the conclusion of the G8 summit in 2008.
Sake is an integral element of many social events, such as weddings, funerals, and various celebrations. Image courtesy of Pixabay
• Hiroki | ¥108,000 ($985)
Famous for its fruity scent and banana aftertaste, Hiroki sake hits you hard before you know what’s going on. Despite, or rather, because of its pleasant taste, exercise caution when drinking this Fukushima-based product.
Rows and rows of sake on display inside decorative barrels. Image courtesy of Pixabay
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