7 Things You Need To Know About Sake (Japanese Rice Wine)

There are so many varieties of sake brands that it is very difficult to only choose one brand as the best sake. It really depends on the type of taste you are aiming for.

Perhaps if we do have to choose one, then Dassai(獺祭), a sake brand originally made in Yamaguchi, is always one of the top-ranked sake brands in Japan. 

Its characteristics are its slight sweetness and fruitiness. It has an alcohol content is about 16 percent. 

Absolutely! Just like cooking wines, you can use your Japanese sake for cooking. There are even some cheap ones sold at Japanese supermarkets that are specifically for cooking. 

Sake can be used for almost any kind of Japanese dish. Just pour in some sake if you would like to add a deeper flavor to your food.

There are some health benefits to drinking Japanese sake in moderation. Sake reduces the risk of having cancer, helps prevent osteoporosis and diabetes, can help to reduce high blood pressure, and even makes your skin clearer because it reduces the production of melanin so sunspots become less visible.

Some skincare products in Japan even contain some sake acids, which is said to enhance the appearance of the skin when used topically.

There are basically two different ways to enjoy your sake: 'hiya' and 'atsukan.' 

• Hiya means cold style for which you refrigerate not only the sake but also the tokkuri and the ochoko. 
• On the other hand, atuskan is a heated style, for which you heat the sake in a tokkuri placed in hot water. 

Some sakes are better drunk hiya style, others are better atsukan style, and some are excellent done both ways. What's interesting is that the taste and smell may change drastically depending on the temperature the sake is served.

Wine and sake are both fermented alcohols with an alcohol percentage of around 15 percent, so in a way, they're a bit similar.

One difference is in their sweetness. Contrary to what many people believe, Japanese sake is sweeter than wine. And as such, sake also has more calories than wine. A glass of sake of 100 grams contains 103 calories whereas wine has about 83 calories for the same amount.