Sake 101

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Sake Ingredients (click for video)

Sake Classifications (click for video)

Sake Vocabulary:

Nihon-shu – The way we refer to Japanese rice wine: “Sake” is referred to as “Nihon-shu” in japanese.

Sake Meter Value (SMV). A scale that indicates the relative sweetness or dryness of a sake. Postive number are Dryer, negative numbers are sweeter. Also referred to as “nihonshu-do”.

Seimaibuai: also known as Rice Milling Percentage. Indicates the precent of the rice grain remaining after milling away the outer hull prior to brewing

Acidity: General scale of acidic content in sake.

Alcohol Percentage: Percentage of Alcohol content in a sake by volume. usually around 15% – 16%.

Prefecture: The country of japan is broken down into 47 locally governed units called Prefectures.

Shuzo : Sake brewery. for example: Takara Shuzo means Takara Sake Brewery.

Junmai – Classifcation name for sake made from rice milled down to at least 70% of it’s original size and made with only Rice, water, yeast and Koji – no additives.

Honjozo – Classifcation name for sake made from rice milled down to at least 70% of it’s original size and made with Rice, water, yeast, Koji and the addition of distilled brewers alcohol.

Junmai Ginjo – Classifcation name for sake made from rice milled down to at least 60% of it’s original size and made with only Rice, water, yeast and Koji – no additives.

Ginjo – Classifcation name for sake made from rice milled down to at least 60% of it’s original size and made with Rice, water, yeast, Koji and the addition of distilled brewers alcohol.

Junmai Daigino – Classifcation name for sake made from rice milled down to at least 50% of it’s original size and made with only Rice, water, yeast and Koji – no additives.

Daiginjo – Classifcation name for sake made from rice milled down to at least 50% of it’s original size and made with Rice, water, yeast, Koji and the addition of distilled brewers alcohol.

Nigori: Sake that is only corsely filtered of rice solids after brewing. These tiny bits of the rice are left in giving this sake a creamy and miky appearance. Be sure to shake up a nigori before you pour. Sometimes called “cloudy” or “unfiltered” sake.

Namazake: Nama is a word you should know! Trust me. Nama is just unpasteurized sake. It must be constantly refridgerated, consumed within a day or two of opening and is only available seasonally. The trade off for all this is that nama is known for it’s fresh, young, bombastic taste. Delicious!

Genshu: Undiluted Sake. Hot off the presses, sake is normally about 20% Alcohol. Brewmasters usually add pure water to dilute the strength down to 15-16%. Genshu skips this step and give you full-on high octane sake. It’s strong! Also referred to as “cask strength” sake, it’s sometimes served on the rocks.

Koshu: Aged sake. Normally, sake should not sit around for years, but some premium sake is aged and produces a sake known as Koshu. This produces a golden-amber color and a complex flavor profile. It’s really similar to sherry. Personally, I love this stuff.

Taru: Sake that has been stored in cedar barrels, imparting a cedar-y taste to the sake. If you love to spend time in your cedar closet, this may just be the drink for you. The more subtle the cedar notes, the better.

Learning the types of Sake produced is a great place to start!

Below are the basic classification grades of Sake:

Junmai / Honjyozo:

Junmai Sake is brewed using only rice, water, yeast and koji. There are no other additives. To qualify as a Junmai, the rice grain must be milled to at least 70% of it’s original size.

Honjoyzo Sake is the same as Junmai except a small amount of distilled brewer’s alcohol is added to the sake to achieve different flavor profiles.

Junmai Ginjo / Ginjo:

Junmai Ginjo Sake is brewed using only rice, water, yeast and koji. There are no other additives. To qualify as a Ginjo, the rice grain must be milled to at least 60% of it’s original size.

Ginjo Sake is the same as Junmai Ginjo except a small amount of distilled brewer’s alcohol is added to the sake to achieve different flavor profiles.

Junmai Daiginjo / Daiginjo:

Junmai Daiginjo Sake is brewed using only rice, water, yeast and koji. There are no other additives. To qualify as a Daiginjo, the rice grain must be milled to at least 50% of it’s original size.

Daiginjo Sake is the same as Junmai Daiginjo except a small amount of distilled brewer’s alcohol is added to the sake to achieve different flavor profiles.