The 10 Best Bottles of Luxury Sake
Looking for a bottle of luxury sake? Our roundup shares everything you need to know about the Japanese rice wine and the best labels to shop.
Sake is a style of Japanese wine that’s crafted from fermented rice. Though it’s categorically a wine, most styles don’t taste like a traditional wine from fermented grapes. Of all the wines on the market, sake is often on the lower end of the price spectrum. However, there are some extraordinarily rare expressions and styles of sake that can compete with the price tags of the most expensive wines in the world. Scarcity, unique fermentation, rare rice varieties, and the duration of rice polishing are the key factors that contribute to the best, most expensive sakes on the market.
Rice polishing is one of the steps in sake that “mills off the outer layer of brown rice, which usually contains lipids, minerals and proteins,” according to Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association. Essentially, rice polishing makes for a purer sake; the lower the rice polishing ratio, the purer the sake.
What Is Sake?
At its simplest, sake is a fermented rice beverage. As with any style of wine, sake producers, called sake brewers, employ their individual techniques, which can give sake different characteristics. The fermentation technique dates back to ancient China, but the Japanese pioneered it about 2,500 years ago alongside the country’s growing rice cultivation.
Today, more than 100 rice varieties are used for sake in Japan; in comparison to table rice, sake rice is larger, lower in protein, and has an absorbent core. The core is the main difference between table and sake rice, as it offers the ideal environment for koji fungi cultivation. The koji cultivation is one of the defining features of sake-making as the koji’s enzymes assist in breaking down the rice starch into sugars, which the yeast devours to turn into alcohol. The sake brewing process lasts two months, and then the sake must age, or mature, for up to a year and a half.
Everything about sake is methodical, including the seasons it follows, but perhaps the most important part is the end result, a rice wine that plays a primary role in the fabric of Japanese culinary and social cultures.
The 10 Best Bottles of Luxury Sake
Niizawa Reikyo Junmai Daiginjo “Absolute 0”
Niizawa Reikyo Junmai Daiginjo 2024 “Absolute 0” is considered the most highly polished sake in the world, with a 0.85% rice polishing ratio (RPR), which presents an exceptionally smooth and light style of sake. For context, a Daiginjo sake that’s polished between 40% to 50% of its original size is considered a pure sake — so getting under one percent is impressively daring. Tasting notes are subtle but highlighted by Asian pear and green melon. The rice takes seven months to polish, so only 999 bottles are produced annually. It typically sells out quickly, but when it’s in stock, it sells for $5,600.
Tatenokawa “Komyo” Yamadanishiki Junmai Daijinjo Sake
Tatenokawa Brewing Company is a brewery in the Yamagata Prefecture that is famous for its extreme rice polishing. In fact, it made history in 2016 with its Tatenokawa “Komyo” Dewasansan crafted with a 1% RPR. After crafting one of the most sought-after sakes in the world, Tatenokawa decided to do it again with the Yamadanishiki label. This Junmai sake also offers a 1% RPR but presents a richer mouthfeel and a slight sweetness while still tasting perfectly pure and fresh — all for $3,800 a bottle.
Mujaku Junmai Daiginjo
Horie Sake Brewery is the oldest sake producer in the Yamaguchi Prefecture, but it’s not afraid of innovation and experimentation. Its Mujaku Junmai Daiginjo is a prime example; a vintage sake designed to be aged — Mujaku translates to “aged” in Japanese — between five to 10 years in a home cellar. The thought is that Mujaku will develop more complex flavors with layers of fruity and savory notes over time. Only 1,000 bottles are produced each year, and sales are highly allocated, starting at $3,100.
Zankyo “Super 7” Junmai Daiginjo
Zankyo “Super 7” is another example of extreme rice polishing. Niizawa Brewery released this luxury sake in 2015, at which point it broke the status quo of an 8% RPR sake with its 7% RPR. Of course, Niizawa shattered its own record with the aforementioned Reikyo “Absolute Zero,” however, this tropical-laced expression is still highly coveted (maintaining a price tag of around $1,800). The rice used in Zankyo “Super 7” is the Kura no Hana variety, which is native to the brewery’s Miyagi Prefecture, so it’s a bottle that certainly exhibits a sense of place.
Daishichi Myoka Rangyoku Omega
Myoka Rangyoku Omega is an undiluted drip sake that comprises the most premium sake produced by the Nihonmatsu-based Daishichi Brewery in the Fukushima Prefecture. Typically, producers dilute sake with purified water to lower the alcohol percentage; as such, an undiluted sake (read: more concentrated) is considerably rare. Its rarity results in a price tag hovering just under $1,000. Myoka Rangyoku Omega is balanced but complex with a medium sweetness. Sake experts recommend a long decant of up to a week in order for the profound concentration, vivacity, and flavors to mellow.
Noguchi Sake Limited Edition 01
Naohiko Noguchi is a master of sake brewing, and with this special edition he flexes his merited title. He came out of retirement to make this limited-edition sake of 888 bottles that are hand-numbered on the accompanying tag of its crimson red vessel (starting at $970 per bottle). The sake is a blend of multiple vintages using different rice varieties and has a fresh acidity that balances its umami profile.
Kamotsuru Ginringa Daiginjo Sake
There are a few reasons why this Daiginjo sake beckons a price around $900. Firstly, the rice is polished to a 32% RPR in just under 90 hours. The sake uses only the white heart of the rice, and it’s packaged in Italian crystal for an added touch of luxury. The sake itself is delicate with a slight peppery spice and clean, dry finish.
Katsuyama Diamond Akatsuki Sake
This luxury sake is complex with stonefruit aromas like stewed peaches that preface the off-dry palate. It’s called Diamond Akatsuki Sake because it was created to showcase the “liquid diamond” qualities of the most rich and elegant Japanese sake. The Katsuyama brewery uses a unique and challenging process that relies on high-tech centrifuge to separate the mash solids from the sake; the expensive production adds to its retail price of $625.
Fujinishiki “Hiryujoun” Junmai Daiginjo
Fujinishiki Brewing Company pays homage to its region’s famed Mount Fuji by including a handcrafted figurine in the bulbous bottle that holds “Hiryujoun.” The vessel, sold at $495 per piece, is experiential: gently tilt the bottle to activate a flurry of gold leaf meant to liken the snow that falls on Mount Fuji or turn on the LED light to cast a warm glow on the landmark volcano. The sake leans in the tropical direction with notes of mango and pineapple but also ripe strawberries and cream.
Masumi Nanago “Seventh Heaven”
At $142, “Seventh Heaven” is the least expensive sake on this list, yet it still holds a relatively high price tag in comparison to the standard table sake. Banana, molasses, and peach are key tasting notes of this dry and rich sake, while simultaneously offering a fantastic foray into the world of premium sake. Masumi named this sake after the Nanago (yeast number seven), which is the brewery’s own strain; it produces this yeast using the Yamaha brewing method, which yields a sake with a richer flavor profile and higher acidity.
