What a stronger image can you get of Japan than Sake? Like wine to the French and Whisky to the Scots, Sake is more than just an alcoholic beverage. It is steeped in history and tradition dating back to around 300 B.C.

In fact the process of making Sake can bee traced back to China around 4000 B.C but it was the Japanese who started mass-producing this unique drink.

The Shinto religion also used sake in various ceremonies, which included offerings to the God's, marriages and temple purification rituals; these ancient practices are still used in Japan today.

Around the 1300's sake was allowed to be mass-produced which made it Japan's most consumed alcoholic beverage. It also saw the production process change and improve and the country had a surge in breweries. Prior to the 17th century all sake that was produced looked cloudy in colour and there is a famous story in Japan that tells of a disgruntled employee who had tried to sabotage a batch of sake by adding ashes, in fact by doing this it settled the sake making it the clear looking drink we know today, thus cementing his place in sake history.

During Japan's Industrial revolution the process was introduced to brewing machinery, which further improved the quality of sake and made it more accessible to the wanting public. During World War II the sake process again had to change to it's environment and the shortage of rice saw glucose and pure alcohol added to the rice mash to increase the production yield and brewing time.

There are three key elements to sake: water, rice and rice koji (malted rice). The characteristics and quality will greatly affect the taste. And as Sake is 80 percent water, this is a vital element determining quality. In the case of Junmai (pure rice Sake) to which no additives such as starches, brewer's alcohol, or preservatives are added; the subtle, delicate flavor must be created from only rice and water.

Sake is classified into several types according to different brewing methods and ingredients. The rice polishing process will determine the category and flavor. The process of polishing is known as Seimai. It is a process to remove the outer parts of the grains that will be used for sake. The outer parts contain fats and proteins that reduce the quality of the Sake. The degree of rice polishing categorises sake into five types: Futsu, Honjozo, Ginjo, Daiginjo and special Daiginjo.

With the spread of the Japanese cuisine around the globe it was inevitable that sake would also be welcomed, and the west has warmly taken to the taste of Sake. Many people believe sake is best served warm, but Sake traditional was served to suit the temperature at that time of the year and with the type of food it was served with. The Japanese language even has special words allocated for serving temperatures, warmed or slightly heated Sake is called Kan, chilled Sake is called Hiya. Sake changes its taste and flavor depending on its temperature; the drinking temperature should be between 5 - 55 degrees C and should never exceed 60degrees C.