Sake

Sake is a fantastic drink, which is still often overlooked in the West, which is a such a shame particularly given how great it is with food (see end of this blog post!). To help overcome some of the initial wariness around sake, we’ve tried to break down some of the basics about sake in this post. It’s obviously a huge topic, and so we’ve not covered every nuance – it’s a pretty generalised overview. That being said, we hope that it helps to answer some of things you’ve wanted to know about sake.

What is Sake?

People often struggle to describe sake, is it a spirit? A rice wine? More like a beer? None of these, really – sake is sake! Well, we should also note that ‘sake’ actually refers to alcoholic beverages more broadly in Japan, whereas what we know as sake is called ‘nihonshu’ in Japan, but we’ll try not to confuse things and stick with sake!

Sake is made from 4 ingredients: polished white rice, kōji, yeast, and water.

Polished white rice: polishing rice essentially means taking off the outer layers. All white rice we eat is polished, as the brown outer layer is taken off. The difference is this rice for premium sake making is typically much more polished (sometimes less than half of the original rice grain is left). This takes away proteins, lipids etc. from the outer layers of the rice, to be left with a primarily starch core – and rice chosen for sake making is structured in a way where the starch is very centred around the core. The rice is then washed, soaked, steamed and cooled.

Kōji – is made in the brewery by mixing kōji mould (Aspergillus Oryzae, the same bacteria used to make soy sauce, mirin, miso etc.) with some of the steamed white rice, in a warm, humid kōji room. The kōji helps to break down the starch in the rice, by releasing enzymes which can convert the starch into sugar. Given the husk is taken off the rice in the polishing, you can’t germinate the rice to break down the starch like you do with barley and other grains, when making beer and some spirits.

Water – local spring water is usually used, and Japanese water is notably good, which really adds to the quality.

Yeast – this is fundamentally the same yeast that makes wine, but yeast selected for sake production is typically more resistant to higher alcohol and lower fermentation temperatures. Yeasts can also be selected for bringing out certain characteristics in the final drink.

Sake has a unique fermentation process:

1. A yeast mixture (shubo), is mixed with a mixture of steamed rice, water, and kōji. This essentially feeds the yeast, and a bit like making a sourdough, you do it bit by bit – first adding just one-sixth of the total rice, water and kōji mould mix; then one-third, and then the final half.

2. The enzymes from the kōji break down the starch in the rice to release sugars

3. The fermentation (yeast turning sugar into alcohol) happens at the same time. This single-vat brewing technique is known as multiple parallel fermentation and is unique to sake.

After fermentation, the liquid is filtered and bottled. It is common for a number of other optional stages to occur e.g. the addition of distilled alcohol before filtration, fining with charcoal, diluting with water, and pasteurisation – these all contribute to the style of sake (see below).

Main types

About 60% of the sake produced in Japan is non-premium sake (futsū-shu), which has very few regulations. Premium types of sake are primarily divided by the polishing of the rice and whether additional alcohol has been added to the finished product.

What is a rice polishing ratio? Somewhat counter-intuitively (at least for us), this number represents the remaining rice left after the polish – so a 70% rice polishing ratio means 30% of the rice has been polished off, and 70% still remains. Naturally, rice that is more polished is more expensive; as a result, these types of sake are often perceived as better. However, this is not necessarily the case - it’s simply a different type of sake, and the price is a direct reflection of the production costs.

Why add distilled alcohol? This can help to extract aromas out of the solid rice, and also can give a spicy kick. Sake without added distilled alcohol is known as ‘junmai’ which literally means ‘pure rice’.

Note that you can also have Tokubetsu Junmai and Tokubetsu Honjōzō in the 60% or less and 70% or less categories; but they need another factor that qualifies it as Tokubetsu (‘special’)

Common Additional Labelling Terms Linked to Production Methods

· Namazake: Namazake is an unpasteurized sake that must be refrigerated consumed within a short time frame (it’s typically released in November / December). Namazakes tend to have a bright, fresh character

· Kimoto: Made using an older, slower method for the fermentation starter. The result generally has higher acidity and more depth and complexity

· Yamahai: Basically a simplified version of Kimoto

· Miroka: A sake that has not been fined with charcoal to remove colour

· Genshu: A sake that has not had water added before bottling, although it’s not necessarily more alcoholic

Common Varieties of Sake

There are also many different varieties of sake, distinguished by brewing method, filtration, and aging.

· Genshu: Genshu sake skips the post-brewing watering down most other sakes go through. As a result, this undiluted sake has bold flavors and a slightly higher alcoholic content

· Jizake: Jizake is a term for artisanal sake produced by smaller, independent breweries (essentially microbreweries)

· Koshu: Most sake is intended for consumption within a few months of production but koshu sake is aged for at least 3 years in the bottle or barrels. The result is usually an amber colour with nutty and dried fruit aromas, which tastes a bit like sherry. The versions aged in oak barrels are also really interesting because the oak comes through so distinctly against the delicate sake

· Nigorizake: Whilst sake has to be filtered by law, this type of sake is only coarsely filtered, creating a cloudy sake. The result is a noticeably creamy mouthfeel

· Sparkling sake: Usually made in a way similar to Champagne, sparkling sake is quickly growing in popularity and goes surprisingly well with most foods.

· Kijōshu: A sweet style, that’s usually full bodied and complex. Water added at the early stages of production (typically 4th day) is replaced with sake. The yeast keep fermenting but they are not able to ferment all of the sugar created by the enzymes by the time fermentation is stopped, resulting in a sweeter sake. It’s also possible to make sake with higher proportions (or even 100%) kōji.

· Taruzake: Sake that has been stored in casks of Japanese cedar, which lends unique woody aromas.

A sake can be a mixture of types and varieties e.g. you can have a junmai ginjō namazake (which means a sake with 60% polishing ratio or less, without added distilled alcohol, and unpasteurised).

What does sake taste like?

Sakes have a much narrower flavour and aroma profile than wine. However, there are still a number of styles of sake and it can be challenging to define the aromas in a style, as they can easily vary from bottle to bottle, depending on a number of factors. That being said, ginjō and daiginjō types in particular, tend to have more delicate fruity and floral aromas (pear drops, banana, blossom, star anise), lower acidity and lower umami. These aromas can also be the result of a cool and long fermentation, as well as the type of yeast used. On the other side of the scale sakes can have cereal and lactic aromas (a bit like smelling a gut-friendly little drink like Actimel), and more acidity and umami notes.

How should sake be stored?

Simply, don’t. Drink sake young (with the exception of koshu). But if you do need to store it, keep it chilled, away from bright lights, and keep the bottle upright. Once opened, keep it sealed in the fridge, and try to finish it in about a week.

What temperature should you serve sake?

As a rule of thumb, ginjō and daiginjō are typically best chilled or sometimes room temperature, which retains their delicate aromas. Sparkling sakes are also best chilled, just like sparkling wines. Otherwise, it’s down to personal preference – you can serve sake chilled or warm, or anywhere in between! It’s often a good idea to match the temperature with the temperature of your food (within reason, no more than around 55C), with warming sometimes helping to release some of the aromas and letting the sake loosen up a bit; but does risk losing some of the more delicate aromas.

What should you drink sake out of?

The classic receptacle is an o-choko, which is a small cup. This is mostly cultural, linking to the Japanese custom of filling up each other’s cups, as well as the joy of choosing your own style of o-choko. By keeping the cups small, you encourage more filling up, which helps build a sense of togetherness. If you just care about the taste, a white wine glass is ideal for appreciating sake. Wine glass companies like Riedel even have special glasses for types of sake, like daiginjō and junmai.

Where can I buy sake?

As we’re London-based, we tend to buy sake in London. Hedonism stocks some great sakes (including rarer styles) – although it’s not the cheapest. Other in-person good options are Japan Centre, HIS Travel Sake & Tea, Natural Natural Sake Sakana, Japan House, and Sakaya Pontechnion. If you want to drink there and then, Moto London is a great sake bar in Covent Garden (there’s also a shop). And of course there’s always the internet!

What food goes well with sake?

Last but definitely not least – food! One of the reasons we love sake is its versatility when it comes to food pairing - sake goes with most foods (the exception might be spicy foods, which sake’s high alcohol content accentuates, although some may like that). The matching principles are broadly similar to wine (e.g. match the intensity; pair a sake at least as sweet as the food), but sake has a number of advantages over wine when it comes to food pairing, such as:

1. Sake’s versatility means it’s great when you have multiple dishes. A junmai ginjō is a fairly safe bet to go with a range of foods, and is quite easily found (or sparkling sake if you can get hold of it)

2. Sake is magical with foods like caviar or salmon eggs – it accentuates the flavour and the texture (and vice versa). This is particularly notable as wine is often bad with these foods!

3. Sake goes well with other foods that can be tricky to match with wine e.g. asparagus, sushi and smoked salmon.

4. Don’t just think of Japanese food, sake goes amazingly well with cheese, for example. We recently had a medium cheddar with a warm junmai, and it was surprisingly good – the cheese tasted like fudgy caramel! Similarly, try blue cheese with a kimoto or yamahai. Something amazing happens when mixing umami with sake, given sake’s naturally high umami levels - try junmai with rich tomato sauces. Sake also goes wonderfully well with oysters – bringing out the umami flavours.

5. Sake has naturally no sulphur dioxide (unlike wine which has it even when not added). Sulphur dioxide can react badly with some foods, like raw fish and squid, creating a rotten fishy odour. With sake, you can avoid that!

So get out there, and drink some sake! Kanpai!

Stay salty af,

Anika & Fleurie