PURPOSE: To provide both a method for producing SAKE (Japanese rice wine) by which the SAKE without a peculiar flavor or an unpleasant smell can efficiently be produced according to a simple constitution and an apparatus therefor.

CONSTITUTION: This method for producing SAKE comprises a steaming step 5a for steaming milled rice with heated and humidified steam in a steaming basket and a liquefying step 12 for converting the steamed milled rice into a liquid substance with a liquefying enzymic agent 20 and further feeding the resultant liquid substance obtained in the liquefying step 12 as a charging rice to an unrefined SAKE fermenting step 9 in producing the SAKE 18. The charging rice accounting for most of the raw material is presteamed with the heated and humidified steam in the steaming step 5a to thereby remove a peculiar flavor or an unpleasant smell latently possessed by the milled rice. Thereby, the SAKE 18 good in flavor and aroma can be obtained in the same manner as that of a conventionally and usually used method. Since the liquid substance is further obtained in the liquefying step 12, operations such as stirring, temperature control and conveyance can extremely be facilitated. As a result, the SAKE 18 can efficiently be produced without requiring much labor according to a simple constitution.