Good sake (日本酒）

[Jericho Desu]

Is there anyone here that can recommend some good Japanese rice wine brands, this is a favour for a friend and he says money isn't an issue. Since I'm not a drinker of the stuff myself I have no clue really.

Thanks

 

[epigene]

Just like wine or whiskey, sake tastes vary by manufacturer, region, method, etc. And, sake is made in all parts of Japan.

However, Niigata Prefecture is arguably the home of the best sake brands, and Koshi no Kanbai is regarded as the best of the best.

Koshino Kanbai

One man's journey into the world of Japanese sake, or nihonshu.

web.archive.org

However, this is extremely difficult to find--to the extent that there had been arrests of fraudulent vendors who sold "fake" Koshino Kanbai. So, finding this in the UK is out of the question.

My husband and I are sake lovers, especially those from Niigata which are generally dry and crisp (karakuchi) in taste.
If you can find it, Midorikawa (it seems it is marketed as Green River in North America) is a good brand--relatively high-priced but excellent. Like other sake brands, Midorikawa comes in a range of prices and grades. The medium to high price range is recommended.

Another excellent brand is Kubota
http://www.mountfuji.co.uk/acatalog/Medium_Bottle.html

The most expensive grade is naturally the best, but the medium grade is fairly good as well.

There are many more, but I don't know whether they are sold in the UK.

 

[Jericho Desu]

Thanks a lot, @epigene! Yeah, I think the range of sake is quite limited in the UK but I guess not as many people here are a fan of it, unfortunately.