Sake vocabulary

Daiginjo – 大吟醸 Sake that is at least 50% polished

Futsushu – 普通酒 'regular' sake or sake that is not bound by the rules of premium sake which state that only water, rice, koji-kin and yeast can be used in the production process

Genshu – 原酒 Sake whose alcohol content has not been reduced by the addition of water

Ginjo – 吟醸 Sake that has been polished to at least 70%

Honjozo – 本醸造 Sake to which a small amount of neutral alcohol has been added, not to increase the final alcohol percentage, but to soften the sake

Junmai – 純米 'pure' sake, produced with only four ingredients: rice, water, yeast, and koji-kin

Kijoshu – 貴醸酒 During fermentation, sake is added instead of water, resulting in residual sugar and consequently sweet sake

Kimoto – 生酛 The most traditional fermentation method. A mixture of rice, koji, and water is beaten into a paste, exposed to the open air, creating lactic acid under the influence of lactic acid bacteria naturally present in the brewery.

Koshu – 古酒 Aged sake

Muroka – 無濾過 Unfiltered sake

Namazake – 生酒 Unpasteurized sake

Nihonshu – 日本酒 The Japanese word for sake

Seimaibuai – 精米歩合 The polishing ratio

Seishu – 清酒The legal term for sake

Sokujo moto – 速醸酛 The most common production method for sake where lactic acid bacteria and yeast are added for fermentation

Taruzake – 樽酒 Sake aged for a short time in cedar barrels

Yamahai –  山廃 An intermediate method of fermentation where a little extra water and a more drastic manipulation of the temperature helps to start a natural fermentation process