A Traveler’s Guide to Japanese Sake

Japanese sake is a rice-based alcoholic drink made through fermentation and filtration. It uses rice koji, a fungus grown on rice, for fermentation.

Brewers all over Japan have been making sake for over 1,000 years. Japan has around 1,500 sake makers crafting unique regional varieties, with their own distinct flavor profiles.

What Does the Word Sake Mean?

In Japanese, the word sake actually means alcohol. Any alcoholic drink is technically sake. That’s why you’ll hear Japanese people refer to it as nihonshu, or Japanese sake.

Since most of the world calls this beverage sake, I’m going to follow the status quo and refer to it as either sake or Japanese sake throughout this article.

Sake Bottles Outside a Brewery in Takayama, Japan

Brief History of Japanese Sake

Sake’s history in Japan is long, but not well documented until the 700’s. It’s believed to have started during the Yayoi period (300 BC-250 AD) when rice farming came over from China.

Since rice was such a precious commodity, sake was reserved for big events like festivals, weddings, and funerals. But during the Nara period (710-794), Japan experienced stable rice farming and regular sake production was set up for the Imperial Court.

Old Sake Brewing Equipment on Display at Sake Brewery Museum

Sake making spread to temples, shrines, and the public during the Heian era (794-1185). And breweries started popping up in the Muromachi period (1333-1573).

The 16th century introduced rice polishing, mash pressing, and pasteurization to sake making. While the development of large wooden tubs allowed for the production of bigger batches and storage.

The Edo period (1603-1868) experienced a boom when brewers began adding distilled alcohol to their sake. This modification improved taste and aroma, stopped bacteria growth, and preserved the flavor. It’s a method that’s still used to this day.

The Outside of a Sake Brewery in Takayama, Japan

In 1904, Japan set up the National Research Institute of Brewing. The institute focuses on scientific research for sake production and works on developing new technologies and methods for brewing.

Brewers are constantly looking for ways to improve or diversify this traditional drink. The latest innovation is sparkling sake, which has been a big hit with our tour participants.

Rice Polishing

One of the first things you’ll discover as you dive deeper into the world of sake is the rice polishing ratio, known as seimaibuai in Japanese. This is the process of polishing down the individual rice grains to remove their outer layer.

This outer layer of a rice grain contains lipids, proteins, and minerals that can change the taste of the sake. The amount of polishing directly affects sake quality.

Sake Barrels Outside a Sake Brewery

More polishing typically leads to a cleaner, more refined tasting sake. Less polishing can result in a fuller-bodied sake with more complex flavors.

The degree of polish is represented by a percentage found on the bottle’s label, usually somewhere between 70% to 35%. People new to sake will often confuse this for alcohol content, but sake is rarely more than 16% alcohol by volume.

Different Types of Sake

Sake comes in four main categories, based on ingredients and rice-polishing.

Premium Sake

• Junmai-shu is sake made from rice grains that have been polished to 70% or less of their original size, water, and rice koji. It is considered pure rice sake, with no added alcohol, sugar, or organic acids. It’s known for its rich taste and full flavor.

A Sake Bottle with Junmaishu Printed at the Bottom

• Honjozo-shu is sake made from rice, water, rice koji, and a small amount of distilled alcohol added in the final stage of brewing. The added alcohol makes the sake more fragrant, and gives it a lighter flavor.

A Very Nice Bottle of Daiginjo Junmaishu

• Ginjo-shu is made from rice grains that have been polished to at least 60% of their original size. Special, painstaking techniques are used to brew a ginjo-shu. But the result is a smooth, light-bodied sake with subtle fruit aromas.
  • Daiginjo-shu is a subclass of ginjo-shu. For a sake to be classified as a daiginjo-shu, its rice grains must be polished to a minimum of 50% of its original size.
  • Junmai ginjo-shu and Junmai daiginjo-shu must meet the same grain polishing requirements as ginjo and daiginjo, and also be made with only water, rice, and rice koji. To have the junmai classification, no distilled alcohol may be added.

Ordinary Sake

• Futsushu literally means ordinary sake. It accounts for the majority of the sake on the market, and can have alcohol, sugar, and organic acids added to adjust its flavor. This type of sake is typically served hot at Japanese restaurants.

Cartons of Futsushu in a Convenience Store

Other Sake Classifications

• Namazake is unpasteurized, or raw sake. It’s different from regular sake, which gets pasteurized twice. Without heat treatment, namazake keeps its fresh flavors intact. Enthusiasts often seek out namazake because its flavors are considered to be more vibrant and livelier.

• Nigorizake is filtered through a coarse mesh that results in a cloudy, white sake. This results in a soft, pleasant taste and texture. Nigorizake is a great choice for anyone looking to explore different sake styles.

Refrigerator at a Sake Bar in Tokyo

• Taruzake is sake that has been aged in cedar casks called taru. This process gives it a strong, woody flavor. It’s a tribute to the past, as all sake was stored in wooden taru before bottling became common.
• Sparkling sake is new to the sake scene and is very trendy right now. It offers a light and sweet taste, and often has less alcohol than regular sake. It tastes best served cold.

The list of sake classifications above is most certainly not exhaustive. I’ve merely scratched the surface of this complex alcohol culture. What I have provided are the basics that will help you make some informed decisions when buying a bottle of sake in Japan.

Sake Deep Dive

If you’d like to dive deeper into the world of sake, I suggest starting with the National Research Institute of Brewing website. They have some very informative PDF downloads that will help you better understand this complex beverage.

Shawn Reading The Sake Handbook

The Sake Handbook: All the information you need to become a Sake Expert! by John Gauntner is a well written, easy to understand book about all things sake. It explains the brewing process, the different categories and classifications of sake, terminology, and tasting techniques.

The book also reviews a hundred Japanese sake brands with pictures of the labels, so you can try to find them when you’re on your holiday in Japan.

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this article. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We have no association with the companies or the products reviewed. These are our own opinions of top travel products.