You don't hear much about the tanks used for brewing or storing sake. In many other beverages, the type, age and source of the wood used for the tanks often contributes a major component to the flavor. Although sake is now independent of these factors, this was not always the case.
Originally, all sake was brewed in wooden -- sugi (cedar), to be exact -- tanks. It wasn't until 1923 that enamel-coated steel tanks came into use, and many more years until they became the industry standard. Very rarely do you come across wooden tanks anymore.
The reason this all changed was that the flavor of the sake was incredibly overwhelmed by the fragrance and taste of the wood. As sake emerged from its rough flavor-profile days (thanks to better rice-milling techniques and other technological advances) and became more delicate and refined, the woodiness became a problem.