it’s no coincidence that Dassai Bar, the premium sake brand’s first pop-up bar outside Japan, should be at the entrance of Japan Food Town, the newly-opened series of unique Japanese eateries located at Wisma Atria mall, Singapore.

Dassai is a premium Junmai Daiginjo sake brewed and distributed by Asahi Shuzo. There are only a few Japanese breweries that focus all their resources on making only top grade sake – and the small bar will feature sakes not found in in Singapore. The bar sits 25, and because the range is singularly Dassai, they are able to sell all their sakes by glass as well as by bottle. Let’s start with the Dassai Beyond, their most subarashi expression.

This is the sake that Pres Obama serves to his Japanese guests/dignitaries in the White House, and if it’s good enough for them… The production run is extremely limited, and the completely handcrafted process is a closely guarded secret.

It’s $1,080 per bottle, or you can just have one glass at a more respectable $170. It’s full bodied with a lush fruity fragrant nose, and with a persistent umami finish.

Dassai sake starts with Yamada Nishiki, a type of top-quality short-grain Japanese rice that is the best used for sake brewing. The more the grain is milled (polished), the more premium it is, as fat and protein is removed, leaving the starch behind. So a Dassai 23 (above, with an animated effect) means that 77% of the rice has been milled away.

This Dassai 23 Junmai Daiginjo is equally aromatic, with lemons and peaches and a long finish. It is the brand’s flagship at $25/$194.

And what happens to all the rice that’s milled away, asked no one ever…

It gets made into Dassai rice cakes. You don’t just remove 77% of your stock and not think about what to do with the run off.

Other exclusive sakes available at the pop-up include the Dassai 23 Centrifuge and Dassai 39 Centrifuge, which has undergone a centrifugation process (3,000 spins a min), separating completed sake from the lees, resulting in a smoother, cleaner taste. The Sakura Sling, a cocktail created to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic ties between Singapore and Japan will also be available at the bar:

Sakura Sling ($28): Elderflower, hibiscus, Dassai 50, chartreuse and calvados – inspired by the Singapore Sling. (We love this app.)

The bar also features a small food menu with exclusive snacks, but it’s really the premiums sakes you will be going for. This is the first of its kind, don’t make it the last.

Dassai Bar, 435 Orchard Rd, Wisma Atria Shopping Centre, #04-39/54.

2