Last saturday I went to the sake tasting workshop, which was organized by Dutch Sake importers Yoigokochi. Although they are rather new, they already have extensive contacts, a professional way of conducting business, and a general enthusiasm coming from their love for Sake. 
While we as the audience were enjoying our first taste we were given a rundown of the history of Sake, the circumstances of its use, and how it is fabricated. Apparently, the rice that will used in Sake is actually polished in large machines; it becomes more rounded, and more white. The further down it is polished, the higher quality it is. Sake we buy in the store is generally around 10-20% polished, while the higher-quality Sake imported by Yoigokochi falls in the 50-60% average.
After this, a fungus called Koji is added, to create a mash. In three stages, water, yeast and Koji rice are added together, until it can be left to ferment. Once the master brewer determines it is done, the rice mash is squashed, and the liquid Sake drips out of the container.
Several kinds of Sake exist, depending on whether after this process they are heated (pasteurized) or not, and whether or not water has been added to dilute it.
Of the Sake I've had the pleasure to taste, the two that most struck me were Ine Mankai, the red rice Sake, brewed under the supervision of a female brewmaster. As this is the Sake my girlfriend likes best, and I have heard many women say the same, I'd say that Ine Mankai is a Sake by women, for women.
Second was the Nabeshima Chouko, a traditional, elderly Sake aged in earthenware earns. This particular one had been aged for 7 years, I have been told, and the taste is very round, its scent slightly sweet, and the aftertaste lasts rather long; as it was the last Sake I had drunk (I unfortunately had to leave early due to time constraints), I could still taste the Chouko on my tongue as I was on the train back home.
For more information on Sake, how to get your hands on premium Sake, or if you'd like to know when a Sake tasting workshop is held near where you live, check out their website at http://www.yoigokochi.eu/.
