01 · The essentials
Four ingredients.
Extraordinary range.
Sake is not a rice wine and not a spirit. It is a fermented Japanese drink in a category of its own.
Its foundation is rice, water, kōji and yeast. Kōji is steamed rice cultivated with a fermentation culture, also used in making miso and soy sauce. Its enzymes turn rice starch into sugar, which yeast then converts into alcohol. Both happen together in the same tank—a distinctive process called multiple parallel fermentation.
Sake · How rice becomes a drink
Sake is brewed through multiple parallel fermentation. Kōji enzymes break rice starch into sugars while yeast converts those sugars into alcohol in the same mash. This simultaneous process is central to sake brewing.
Further reading: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
02 · The process
How sake is brewed.
- Polishing removes the outer layers of the rice grain.
- Washing, soaking and steaming prepare the rice with precision.
- Kōji making develops the fermentation culture on a portion of steamed rice, creating the enzymes that unlock its starch.
- Starter culture builds a healthy population of yeast.
- Fermentation combines rice, koji, water and starter in stages.
- Pressing and finishing separate the liquid before maturation and bottling.
Rice planting, photographed by the brewery.
Steamed rice is prepared for the next stage of brewing.
Careful kōji making develops the enzymes that unlock rice starch.
The brewery team tends the fermentation.
Separating the finished sake from the rice solids.
Checking the bottles before they leave the brewery.
03 · Styles
Understanding
the label.
Open a style below to explore how it is made and what the name means.
Junmai · Pure rice sake
Junmai is made without added brewer’s alcohol. Rice and kōji provide the fermentable material; water and yeast make fermentation possible. Unlike ginjo and daiginjo, junmai has no fixed maximum rice-polishing ratio. It can offer mellow rice flavour and savoury depth, but the designation alone does not tell you how sweet or dry a bottle will taste.
Further reading: National Research Institute of Brewing.
Ginjo · Aromatic brewing
Ginjo uses rice polished to 60% or less of its original weight. Slow fermentation at low temperatures helps develop fruity aromas. Ginjo without the word junmai allows a limited addition of brewer’s alcohol; junmai ginjo does not. The name describes the production criteria, rather than a single flavour.
Further reading: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
Daiginjo · Further rice polishing
Daiginjo requires a rice-polishing ratio of 50% or less and ginjo-style brewing. That means at least half the original grain has been removed. Delicate, fruity aromas are common. Junmai daiginjo follows these criteria without added brewer’s alcohol.
Further reading: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
Junmai Ginjo · Rice character and fragrance
Junmai ginjo combines the no-added-alcohol requirement of junmai with the 60%-or-less polishing threshold and brewing approach of ginjo. It often brings fragrant fruit notes and a light, refreshing character. Start chilled or at room temperature to explore its aroma.
Further reading: National Research Institute of Brewing.
Junmai Daiginjo · A refined aromatic style
Junmai daiginjo combines rice, kōji and water with ginjo-style brewing, without added brewer’s alcohol. Its rice is polished to 50% or less of its original weight. The final flavour still depends on the rice, yeast and brewing decisions; the polishing percentage is one part of the story.
Further reading: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
Kijōshu · Sake brewed with sake
Kijōshu is a sweet style made by adding sake to the fermenting mash in place of some of the water. This distinguishes it from the polishing-based ginjo categories. It offers another way to explore sake, particularly when you enjoy a sweeter glass.
Further reading: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
Honjozo · A measured addition
Honjozo uses rice polished to 70% or less, with a limited amount of brewer’s alcohol added. It belongs to Japan’s specially designated sake categories. Added alcohol and the final strength printed on the bottle are different things: always check the bottle’s ABV.
Further reading: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
Nama, nigori and genshu · Other useful words
Nama means unpasteurised sake and needs refrigerated storage. Nigori is coarsely filtered, leaving rice solids that give a cloudy appearance. Genshu is sake without dilution to adjust alcohol strength. These terms describe different production choices and can appear alongside junmai or ginjo.
Further reading: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
Shinshu, hiyaoroshi and koshu · Time and season
Shinshu is new sake from the current brewing season. Hiyaoroshi is brewed in winter, rested over summer and released in autumn, with one pasteurisation after pressing. Koshu is aged sake; maturation can develop amber colour and complex, mellow aromas.
Further reading: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
Rice polishing ratio tells you how much of the original grain remains: 55% means 45% has been polished away.
04 · Stories & culture
Culture in
every cup.
Kanpai
The shared toast marks the beginning of a meal or gathering. Wait until everyone has a drink, raise the cup, say kanpai, and take a sip—a small ritual that turns separate glasses into a shared occasion.
A drink for the seasons
Freshly pressed shinshu arrives in winter; spring brings celebratory drinking beneath cherry blossom; summer favours bright chilled styles; autumn’s rested hiyaoroshi returns with rounded maturity.
Pouring for others
At a shared Japanese table, people traditionally pour sake for one another. It is not a rule for modern drinking, but it captures something essential about sake: attentiveness to the people around the table.
05 · How to enjoy
No rigid rules.
Chilled, at room temperature or gently warmed; in a wine glass, ceramic cup or simple tumbler.
Warm it gently
A quiet winter evening, a few shared dishes and a small ceramic cup: gently warmed sake brings a comforting rhythm to the table.
Pour sake into a heatproof ceramic flask and stand it in a pan of hot water, keeping the water below the neck. Take the pan off the heat and let the sake warm gradually. Check the sake with a thermometer and start around 35–45°C; avoid boiling it.
Enjoy it chilled
For a sunny lunch or relaxed aperitif, serve sake chilled in small, thin-rimmed glasses. Start around 5–15°C and let it open up gently as you sip. Try our Junmai Ginjo Mitsutake alongside seafood or light starters.
Think beyond Sushi
Start with flavour, texture and richness rather than the cuisine. Sake feels as at home with Japanese small plates as it does at a European wine bistro. Try these combinations and follow your own taste.
- Fresh and aromatic · Junmai Ginjo Mitsutake
Enjoy with oysters, scallops, grilled fish, mushroom dishes, soft cheeses or tofu. Roast chicken and pork dishes can work depending on preparation, but are less ideal. Tempura and other fried foods are not recommended for this bottle. - Delicate and refined · Junmai Daiginjo Mitsutake
Pair with sashimi, carpaccio or crudo, lobster, shellfish, caviar and delicate white fish dishes. Its refined style also suits carefully balanced, multi-course tasting menus. - Dry and clean
Try a dry junmai with vegetable tempura, salt-grilled fish or yakitori; alongside bistro food, try fried whitebait or crisp potato croquettes. - Rounded and savoury
Try fuller junmai with miso aubergine, grilled shiitake or pork gyoza; then explore roast chicken, mushroom toast or aged Comté. - Rich and sweet
Try kijoshu or umeshu with a Japanese cheesecake or fruit dessert; at a bistro, explore blue cheese, pâté or a pear tart.
06 · Care
Keep it fresh.
Store unopened sake upright in a cool, dark place away from heat and strong light. Once opened, reseal and refrigerate. Delicate aromatic styles are usually best enjoyed sooner; richer styles may remain expressive for longer.