Nick Gillett: For the sake of Sake – the UK boom looms

By Nick Gillett

Published: 04 July, 2025

When I was a young and impressionable sales executive I worked for a wine and spirits wholesaler that did booming restaurant trade thanks to its really talented wine team. And during this time, being young and curious, I ended up in more than a few sessions learning about Sake. I’ll be honest – I’ve loved Sake ever since. And in the last few years, we’ve been seeing all the early signs that it’s about to hit the big time here in the UK. But in a category that’s so uniquely entwined with one culture, where flavours and styles can differ so widely, and where the text on the bottle is often written in an alphabet we can’t decipher – where do you even begin? I have a few ideas…

Your sake starter kit

Let’s do a quick dive into Sake. To ‘demystify’ it, if you will.

The production of Sake is unique. If we were to compare it to something we more easily understand, it’s brewed a bit like a beer – but with far more precision. It’s made from rice, originates in Japan, but producers are now popping up all over the world, including the USA and Australia.

Read more: SWA 2025 – The Merchant and Producer Awards

It’s been made in Japan for thousands of years, enjoyed across the world for hundreds, but mainly in places that serve Asian cuisine. In the last five to 10 years we’ve seen the US market increase exponentially, becoming one of the biggest in the world after China. Here in the UK, it’s grown every year for the last 13 years, and offers drinkers a low abv, delicious, fairly priced drinking option that can be enjoyed any way you like.

And what about taste? Varieties and styles vary quite wildly, but generally speaking it’s a clean, refreshing drink with minerality and subtle fruit flavours. It has a uniquely umami quality with less acidity than wine – and if you’re into it, the category has so much to offer you, because there are so many styles to choose from.

But beyond its sustained growth here in the UK, we’re now seeing the subtle signs that it could be about to “Boom”. Maybe not to the degree of gin, or rum, but there’s a healthy increase in popularity as more booze-lovers discover its refreshing goodness. There’s heaps of coverage in the press; it’s now popping up on cocktail and drinks menus of London’s boldest bars and also appearing on the supermarket shelves. This is backed up by the stats – with Berry Bros reporting a staggering 1000% growth in Sake sales between 2023 and 2024 alone.

Abundantly flexible

You’d go some distance to find another alcoholic liquid as flexible as Sake. It’s not technically a spirit, it’s not technically a wine (just call me Nick the myth buster), but it can be enjoyed as both. It can be sipped neat like a fine liqueur, enjoyed in abundance like a glass of wine, or mixed into a cocktail for a lower abv but equally as flavoursome base spirit. It’s enjoyed hot and cold, still and sparkling, and indulged in by an ever-increasing fanbase that spans several demographics.

For these reasons, some venues are starting to really push the boundaries with the liquid. It’s not a good swap for something like Vodka, because Sake is imbued with flavour and lacks the potency of simpler spirits. But it can be used wonderfully in combination with vodka, rum, tequila – whatever your spirit of choice. Negronis, Martinis and Manhattans are great cocktails to mix it into, but it needs to be done delicately, so as not to overpower its subtly delicious flavours. You could also use it solo with gentle mixers. Moderation and lower abv alternatives are increasingly popular, and Sake is an excellent option for lower alcohol content without compromising on taste. It’s also low calorie, fermented and usually made from the best of stuff – a win-win for those who care about what goes into our food and drink.

What’s needed from the industry

To date, I think Sake has suffered because it’s a difficult category to navigate. Most of us have probably only enjoyed Sake in a Japanese or Asian-fusion restaurant – and there’s good reason for this. The servers know their produce, usually have a great understanding of Sake, and can talk you through the menu. They can explain how best to enjoy it, learn what flavours you like, and suggest what will pair best with your food.

This is starting to change, especially in London, but there’s work to be done to make it accessible to the masses. We need to deliver more of the education piece; more understanding of the category so consumers feel confident going to buy it off the shelf. We need to provide it in more familiar formats, so people don’t have to commit to an entire bottle before they buy it (like Soto Junmai Sake Cans – the perfect alternative to your ready-to-drink tipple of choice). We need more bars – not just those operating at the pinnacle of the industry – including it in serves and giving the chat around it to punters who will listen. All of this will demystify the category and finally shine a light on this spectacular liquid. I’ve only been waiting for 20(ish) years!

So, here’s my call to action, my shout out to the industry. If you care about being ahead of the curve; you want to create exceptional drinks; and you pride yourself on exploring all the spirits the world has to offer – get on board with Sake. Get it on your menus, on shelves, explore its different styles and serve it with a flourish. It really is Sake-d to none…

Nick Gillett is MD of premium spirit specialist Mangrove UK.

Printer friendly version