Sake is one of those polarizing boozes, like sour beers or Jagermeister. You either love it, or you think it tastes like dirty socks. And I don’t think it’s one of those tastes that grows on you either. You can learn to love sour beers. But sake? I’ve never known anyone who grew into sake. Fortunately, it was love at first sight for me. Probably because I was dropping shots of sake into beer and drinking it all really fast, but still. I was wooed.
And when someone says they “don’t like sake,” they’re casting a pretty wide net. There are so many different kinds of sake out there, ranging from subtle and slightly nutty to so floral you think you’re drinking perfume. Some sake is cloudy and unfiltered, some is crystal clear and super purified. The styles of sake aren’t nearly as varied as beer or wine, but you have options and not all sake is made equal. Chances are, if you’ve only had warm sake while eating sushi, you’ve only had bad sake. I’m not judging you—for years, I only had bad sake (see the sake bomb comment earlier), largely because I had the habit of ordering the cheapest sake on the menu. Bad sake comes warm because when you heat the sake, it covers up any off notes. Full confession: I love crappy sake. It’s all I knew for so long. Like Busch Light, I formed a nostalgic attachment to it.
Soto is not crappy sake. It’s a Junmai Daiginjo sake, which is about as pure as it gets—they polish the hell out of the rice and use only pristine mountain water. You don’t heat this sake, you drink it as cold as you can get it.