No one knows where sake originated from. The earliest known production happened in China around 500 BC. It was crude with villages chewing and spitting rice and nuts into the tub to be stored and left to ferment. Reports indicate that the enzymes produced as a result of the saliva helped in the fermentation process. Urgh…
By the 1300s, sake would become the most ceremonious beverage in Japan. Several of the family-owned breweries that began in the Meiji Restoration period ((1868 – 1912) exist till today.
In recent times, western spirits such as beer and wine have relegated sake’s popularity. But there is a growing resurgence in its popularity with many connoisseurs of western spirits singing its praises resulting in the emergence of many sake breweries outside Japan.
MFD imports the very best sake from Japan. What is oh so different between sake and its western counterpart, wine, is its price. Wine is terribly expensive but high-end sake (they are mostly high-end) is priced almost similar to table wine, which is a travesty! However, much to the delight of sake aficionados, we profit from it. SO long may it continue to be affordable.
Kanpai!
