SOTO Junmai Daiginjo Sake 30cl Bottle

Junmai Daiginjo is the top rung of the sake ladder, and the name tells you two things. Junmai means pure rice — nothing added but rice, water, yeast and koji, no distilled alcohol. Daiginjo means the rice has been milled right down, at least 50% of each grain polished away before brewing so that only the clean, starchy heart remains. SOTO does this in Niigata, the snow country on Japan's northwest coast, using soft snowmelt water that gives the region's sake its famous clarity.

What you get in the glass is delicate and precise. The nose is floral and gently fruited — ripe melon, pear, a touch of green apple, with a quiet mineral edge underneath. The palate is silky and clean, more crisp than sweet, and it finishes light and dry without any of the heaviness people sometimes expect from sake. This is sake as an aperitif and a food wine, not a warming winter cup.

Serve it well chilled to keep the aromatics taut. Heating a daiginjo this fine would blow off everything that makes it special, so keep it cold and pour it fresh.

How to Serve

Serve chilled, around 8 to 10 C, in a white wine glass rather than a tiny cup — the wider bowl lets the melon and pear aromas show. Do not warm it. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and drink within a few days.

Where to Drink It

The Araki in Mayfair for the full sushi omakase. Sabor near Regent Street if you want it against something unexpected. Kanada-Ya for a more relaxed bowl-and-glass evening.

Food Pairings

Made for sashimi and delicate raw fish — try it with fatty tuna or scallop. It also flatters a simple grilled white fish with citrus.