The Development of Sake

I must apologize to readers who can’t read Japanese, but in this issue I would like to explain the ways of reading labels on Japanese sake bottles. Similar to the situation with wine, Japanese sake labels also contain various information from the makers. At first glance these are meaningless terms, but even if you only learn the basics, you can understand sake in general terms. As for the restaurant side, I would like owners to understand the contents of sake labels well, and use them in their sales pitches.

Refer to the front label (in America, it’s the back label) shown in the map below.

• The Specific Name of the Sake: We can understand the rice-polishing rate of the sake, i.e., -how much the rice is polished before brewing, and whether or not alcohol has been added.

• The Date of Manufacture: To speak in more detail, this shows the date the sake was bottled, and not the day the sake was actually manufactured, so be aware. It depends also on the method of preservation, but try to choose a bottle manufactured within the past year. Especially with clear bottles, check to see that the sake hasn’t yellowed due to ultra-violet rays (it degrades due to exposure to sunlight). However, there are also a few varieties of sake, such as unfiltered sake, whose original color is yellow.

• Brewing Techniques and Methods of Manufacturing: In cases where there are distinctive manufacturing methods, it is specified. Below are typical inscriptions and their merits.

-- Namashu – Basically, before storage and bottling, pasteurization by heat is carried out two times for sake. Sake that does not go through this “pasteurization by heat” at all is called “namashu,” or unpasteurized sake. Although it has freshness and a nice fragrance, it doesn’t keep for a long time. Its storage calls for refrigeration.

-- Namazume – During the course of the 2-part pasteurization process by heat, the sake known as Namazume is pasteurized during storage, but not before bottling.

-- Namachozo – In contrast to namazume, namachozo is sake in which pasteurization is not done during storage time; but is performed at bottling time.

-- Genshu – Ordinary sake is called “water-added adjusted,” as it includes a stage in which, with water, the amount of alcohol is lowered; but in the case of genshu, or unprocessed sake, this stage is not present and the amount of alcohol is high (19-20 %). Also, because a certain amount of “carbonic acid” gas is added, there is a burning sensation on the tongue.

-- Muroka – In order to get rid of the color, impurities, and unwanted bacteria, carbon is used to filter almost all sake. Unfiltered sake, or muroka, is shown in Japanese characters. There are many varieties of sake in which the original deep fragrance and full-bodied flavor of the sake is present without filtering.

-- Kimoto Tsukuri – The process of making sake in Japan during ancient times (established during the Edo Period) is known as kimoto tsukuri. To explain takes a long time, so here I would just like readers to remember this as the natural method of brewing sake.

-- Yamahai Tsukuri – This is a method that simplifies the above kimoto tsukuri process. Compared to the modern, quick method of saké brewing, kimoto tsukuri brewing requires time and effort. However, as for the quality of the resulting sake, there are many varieties which have the original “taste of sake” because of the abundance of acidity and good flavors.

• Brand Name: The brand name of the sake is written.

• Names of the Raw Ingredients: If there is only rice and yeast, it is a Junmai type; if not, “jouzo alcohol” is written, and then we know it is sake in which alcohol has been added.

• The Degree to Which the Rice is Polished: This shows the survival rate of the rice. In comparison to brown rice (near 95% survival rate), the degree of polishing the rice has undergone is indicated on sake bottles in the form of the survival rate. It should be mentioned that there are rules stipulating that the survival rate of polished rice in daiginjou is less than 50%; in ginjou it is under 60%; and in honjouzou it is under 70%.

• Alcohol Content: The average amount of alcohol in sake is 16%-17%. In unprocessed sake (no added water), it is 18-20%. Recently, plain and light sake with a low alcohol content has increased, and sake that has about the same alcohol content as wine - around 14% - is growing in number.

The information on an English label is on the back of the bottle (in America, it’s on the front), and these days every sake maker has begun to perfect this information. If restaurants have a flavor chart in English that is easy-to-understand, and shows the right drinking temperature and compatibility with food, it can provide very useful information.


For seminars on Japanese sake or shochu, contact Yuji Matsumoto at 310-936-4649 or ymatsumoto001@gmail.com.



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