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Nowadays, you can find sake served with various cuisines at some of the world’s best restaurants, so it’s no longer limited to Japanese fare. It pairs well with savory South Asian meals and seafood from France, thanks to its crisp and clean flavor. 

It isn’t easy to decide what to drink, and more so to describe the sake that suits your tastes. Learn the ins and outs of ordering Japan’s national drink and start sake-tasting Singapore like a master with this comprehensive guide!

The proper way for Sake Tasting

Sight: Eye for color 

Sake is available in a rainbow of hues, so you can get a sense of the style you will sample before you open the bottle. “Ori” refers to sediment, and “kasu” refers to sake lees; sake without either is typically considered clear. Using techniques like charcoal fining, sake brewers painstakingly remove the colour from filtered sake. Exceptions to this rule do exist, as they always do. 

A sake variety known as “muroka” lacks the dark yellow colouration of sake achieved through the charcoal fining procedure. The hue of “Koshu” (aged sake) can vary from straw to golden to a brown that resembles toast, similar to whiskey. 

Using a “janome” cup is the best way to help you judge colour for sake tasting singapore. These cups, which translate as “snake’s eye” in Japanese owing to their two concentric blue ring patterns, offer enough contrast to make minute changes in liquid colour. (In the rewards area of your account, you may exchange your Tippsy points for a Janome cup!) 

Smell: Nose for Aroma 

A recurring theme here is selecting the appropriate glassware. Remember that getting a decent scent without dipping your nose could be a challenge when using a “choke”—those little round cups typically used to serve sake at any temperature. Similar considerations apply to “guinomi,” which are somewhat bigger cups with the same dimensions as ochoko but have a higher capacity, enabling a more concentrated scent. For sakes with a little more body, the “Sakazuki” (small, often stemless cups with wide rims) are ideal because of their extra surface area for aroma diffusion. 

White wine or wine-tasting glasses (Riedel makes some of the best-in-class glass) and “kara” (stemless, tulip-shaped tumblers) are best for sake tasting singapore because the tapered tops concentrate aromas and provide the ideal portal to bring your nose as near to the liquid as possible without using a napkin. 

Taste: Palate for flavor 

Alright, but describe the flavour of your sake. You have now reached the meat and potatoes of sake-tasting Singapore, having evaluated the sake’s color and aroma. As indicated before, a sake’s overall perception can be impacted by elements such as temperature and the use of proper glassware. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try serving the same sake in various glasses and temperatures to see how the flavors change. 

Extra advice 

Consider these suggestions if you want your attendees to remember your event fondly. 

Use the right glass

When serving sake, use a glass or cup that allows it to shine. Thankfully, “How To Drink Sake with the Right Sake Cup” gives a comprehensive overview of sake glasses and pourers and suggestions for various sake styles. 

Try different categories and regions

Establishing a theme for your sake tasting Singapore could encourage an exploratory mindset. You can take it easy by comparing sake from different regions or prefectures, build a lineup based on a specific style or category, or get technical by comparing different rice, water, or yeast strains (if you’re feeling particularly geeky). To a large extent, you may learn this from the “Characteristics’ ‘ part of Tippsy’s sake pages. Sorting by category is another method for reducing the number of results. 

Make sure to serve it at the temperature that Tippsy suggests

Across the board, there is a rather narrow temperature range where each sake style shines. When tasting sake, it’s best to keep it within that range because it changes flavor somewhat quickly once out of its comfort zone. Heat will bring out the subtler flavors in more delicate sake, but it could bring out the rich textures and extra umami in big and robust sake. Japanese has a scale from “yukihie” (meaning “winter snow”; approximately 5 C or 41 F) to “atsukan” (meaning “hot sake”; approximately 50 C or 122 F) that corresponds to different styles of sake, disproving the common belief that cold sake is always better. To put it mildly, hot sake is not terrible sake. 

Conclusion

Sake tasting Singapore is an adventure. When executed well, not only should your guests get new knowledge, but you should also have a new perspective on the subject. It might be anything from a deeper appreciation for your visitors’ preferences to discovering that you enjoy koshu—or even just an unexpected combination of food.