Honjozo sakes have two characteristics: a rice polishing rate of 70%, and a tiny amount of alcohol added after fermentation. Polishing rate is how much rice and outer rice bran is polished away during the milling process. The higher the polishing rate, the more intense the rice flavours in the sake. The added alcohol highlights and lift other flavours and aromas in the sake. This makes a lighter and more fragrant - though not more alcoholic - drink, perfect for drinking throughout the meal. So with that in mind, I decided to review a few single-serving sake to make your choice a bit easier. Ozeki One Cup Futsushu If you like a clean, dry palate akin to something like a crisp lager, then Ozeki “Karatamba” is likely right for you. Sitting at around 15% ABV, this bottle is about average for sake in terms of alcohol content. It’s also worth noting that while it’s a honjozo (sake with minimum 70% RPR), the rice is polished down to 60%, showcasing the light, dry and earthy side of Yamadanishiki rice at a wide range of temperatures.

In general, however, junmai offers a full-body smoothness with savory rice-infused flavors and minor acidity. Honjozo What makes Shirayuki Akafuji Red Fuji quite unique is that it is a junmai ginjo sake. Making single-serving super-premium sake is less common. Most “one cups” are either futsushu or junmai or honjozo. But here you’ve got an opportunity to try junmai ginjo without buying a whole bottle. It’s especially cool if you are still getting into sake. Red Fuji is so tasty with a burger

They decided to bring namazake into the masses. Unpasteurised sake has three main enemies: air, heat and light. Expose it to any of them and it will spoil the sake. So the brewery came up with a very clever solution for its time: an aluminium can. The aluminium protects the namazake from the light while filling the can to the brim with 200 ml of sake instead of the usual 180 ml reduced the amount of air and oxidation. It’s interesting that the Red Fuji looks more like a takeaway coffee cup than an alcoholic drink. While Ozeki and Kizakura cups are made of glass and Kikusui Funaguchi of aluminium, Red Fuji is served in a paper cup. So it’s light and doesn’t let damaging for sake sunlight in.

If you're wondering how Japanese sake tastes, it varies between the sake styles and even what temperature you drink it at. Sake can taste fruity and floral, or spicy and woody; it can even be crisp and dry like a dry white wine. Sometimes sake can have a very pure, clean taste almost like vodka. Should you drink Sake hot or cold? In 1979, Ozeki opened a brewery in Hollister, California, becoming the first Japanese brewery to produce fresh sake on U.S. soil. Much like Hyogo prefecture, the area in which the new brewery was founded has access to high-quality California rice, as well as pure water from the Sierra Nevada. Where to buy Ozeki sake Ozeki wasn’t content with producing high quality, widely available sake; they wanted to continue to innovate. The first notable innovation was the release of “Cold Ozeki,” a sake intended to be drunk cold. In today’s world that’s exceedingly common, but in 1932 when Cold Ozeki hit the shelves, it was a hip new idea. “Kanzake,” or hot sake, was the norm. Ozeki’s forward thinking was rewarded as in-home refrigeration became widely available in the 1950s. So is Ozeki One Cup good, given that’s futsushu? Yes, it is actually a very enjoyable sake for the price. You won’t find the elegance of ginjo aroma or complexity of junmai sake here. Ozeki One Cup is a simple and fresh sake with a very mild aroma, where you might notice some ricey and earthy notes with a tiny wee of fruitiness. It’s slightly sweet with a bit of acidity and marmelady undertones, a bit of plum and umami.

Top sake recommendations

Although sake is often called "Japanese rice wine," it's not quite on point. Unlike beer or wine, which are categorized by the type of ingredients used (grains or grapes), sake is mostly differentiated by two things: The best way to serve sake is from traditional Japanese sake jugs and sake cups. Browse our range of complete sake sets, or mix and match individual sake bottles and cups. If you get a traditional square cypress wood cup for your sake, drink from one corner to make sure you don't spill any! What does Sake taste like?