Sake is a Japanese fermented beverage brewed from four ingredients:

  • Rice| the basic ingredient and a source of starch
  • Water| added during various key moments of the production process
  • Koji-kin| 'Aspergillus oryzae' is a type of fungus used to convert the starch in rice into sugar
  • Yeast| the catalyst for the conversion of sugar into alcohol

  • Het productieproces

    Sake is an alcoholic beverage produced through a fermentation process. Rice is polished and then steamed. A portion is set aside and sown with "koji-kin," a fungus that converts the starch present in the rice into sugar. In a next step, the regular steamed rice is combined with the koji rice, and after the addition of brewer's yeast, fermentation begins. In a final stage, the brew is filtered and (optionally) pasteurized. Ultimately, most sake will contain around 15% alcohol (comparable to certain red wines), with rare instances of up to 20%.

    The different sake categories

    It's not easy to just pick up a bottle of sake and immediately know what to expect in the glass. Fortunately, the classification of premium sake can help. This is based on two axes: the degree of polish and whether or not alcohol has been added.

    The degree of polishing 'Seimaibuai" has a significant impact on the flavor of sake. The starch, which the sake brewer is interested in because it can be converted into fermentable sugars, is located in the kernel of the rice grain. Polishing the rice brings out its essence and removes other substances that could impact the flavor. Generally, the finesse and purity of the final sake increases with a higher degree of polishing.

    The sake brewer may add a small amount of neutral alcohol to the brew after fermentation. The purpose of this is not to increase the final alcohol content, but to emphasize the sake's aromatic intensity and soften its character somewhat. When this alcohol is added, it is called "Honjozo. Sake that does not contain added alcohol and is therefore produced solely from rice, koji-kin, water, and yeast is called 'Junmai' named.

  • What is sake not?

    • Sake is not a distillate | Sake is a fermented beverage, and no distillation is involved.
    • Sake is not wine | Grapes contain sugars that are converted into alcohol during fermentation. Rice doesn't contain sugar, but starch, which must first be converted into sugar before fermentation can begin.
    • Sake is not beer | In beer, starch is converted into sugar by malting grains. However, sake rice is polished and no longer contains the germ, meaning it cannot be malted.