Sake Labelling Terms & Tasting Flashcards
Understanding Sake: Explaining Style & Quality Chapters 3 & 4
How much of Japanese sake production is classed as ‘premium’?
Approximately one third - and this percentage is increasing.
What is premium sake?
Only made with rice, water, yeast, kōji and possibly jōzoō alcohol.
Kōji must account for minimum 15% of the total rice used
In which style of sake must kōji account for a minimum of 15% of the total rice used?
Premium, or tokutei-meishō-shu
How many grades of premium sake are there?
Eight
Defined by the polishing of the rice, if jōzō is used, or special ingredients and processes
How many grades of premium sake are called tokubetsu?
Two
The use of a particular polishing rate
The use of certain production processes.
What is the Japanese word for premium sake?
Tokutei-meishō-shu
What is tokutei-meishō-shu?
Premium sake
One third of Japanese production
What is futsū-shu?
Basic sake
Two thirds of Japanese production
What is the Japanese word for basic sake?
Futsū-shu
Does the term futsū-shu usually appear on a sake label?
No - brewers will usually use a brand name instead
What might be added to a futsū-shu, in addition to the rice, water, yeast, kōji and jōzō?
Amino acids (for umami)
Sugar
Acid
Less tightly regulated
How does futsū-shu differ from tokutei-meishō-shu?
Less tightly regulated. Brewers can add:
Amino acids (for umami)
Sugar
Acid
What is ginjō?
Sake brewed from rice polished to 60% or less.
All of the protein, lipids, vitamins and minerals are polished away, leaving almost pure starch.
Light in body, lower in acidity and umami.
Long, very cold fermentation puts yeast under stress due to lack of nutrition and causes aromas of green apple and banana
What is daiginjō?
Sake brewed from rice polished to 50% or less. Very pure and delicate.
As for ginjō:
All of the protein, lipids, vitamins and minerals are polished away, leaving almost pure starch.
Light in body, lower in acidity and umami.
Long, very cold fermentation puts yeast under stress due to lack of nutrition and causes aromas of green apple and banana
What must all eight categories of premium sake show on the label?
The polishing rate
What are the eight grades of premium sake?
Daiginjō
Ginjō
Honjōzō
Tokubetsu honjōzo
Junmai daiginjō
Junmai ginjō
Junmai
Tokubetsu junmai
What effect does the addition of distilled alcohol have on the sake?
Very little for honjōzō:
- Subtly enhances aromas
- Can make the sake slightly lighter in body
For futsū-shu, it increases volume and decreases price
What is the Japanese term for distilled alcohol?
Jōzō arukōru
True or false?
If distilled alcohol is used, it does not need to be listed on the label.
False.
Distilled alcohol must be listed in the ingredients on the label
What is arukorū-tenka?
Alcohol addition - often abbreviated to aruten
What is aruten?
An abbreviation for arukorū-tenka - alcohol addition.
Aruten is the term used to describe sake make with the addition of jōzō, and as opposed to junmai.
What is junmai?
Premium sake made without the addition of distilled alcohol
Why doesn’t the addition of distillers alcohol increase the alcoholic volume?
Because the sake is watered back after the alcohol addition.
What is honjōzō?
Premium sake made from relatively coarsely polished rice (70% or less) with a small addition of distilled alcohol
How does honjōzō taste in comparison to junmai?
Similar earthy, cereal flavours, but honjōzō is slightly lighter in body
What does tokubetsu translate to?
Special
How can sake qualify for the labelling term tokubetsu?
Three ways:
- Be polished to less than 60%
- Be made only from sake-specific rice
- Include some other process that the brewer has arranged to be legally recognised.
True or false:
Sake made from rice with a polishing rate of 71% or more and the addition of distilled alcohol cannot be called honjōzō.
True.
Honjōzō must be polished to 70% or less.
True or false:
Sake made from rice with a polishing rate of 71% or more cannot be called junmai.
False.
There is no stipulated polishing ratio for junmai, although unpolished rice is rarely used.
True or false:
Tokubetsu sake can only be labelled as such if it has a polishing rate of 60% or less.
False.
A polishing rate of 60% can be one way to qualify for use of the term tokubetsu, but there are also other factors that can qualify the sake to use the term.
- sake specific rice
- a legally recognised production process
What is the required polishing rate for honjōzō?
70% or less
What is the required polishing rate for junmai?
There is no minimum polishing rate for junmai
What does the labelling term kimoto mean?
An older, slower method for the fermentation starter. A sake with higher acidity, and more depth and complexity.
What does the labelling term yamahai mean?
A sake made with a simplified version of kimoto. Like kimoto, it produces a sake with higher acidity, and more depth and complexity.
What does the labelling term muroka mean?
A sake that has not been fined with active charcoal to remove colour.
Muroka sake is typically pale lemon-green or lemon in appearance
What does the labelling term nama mean?
A sake that has not been pasteurised.
Nama-chozō is a sake that is stored unpasteurised but is pasteurised at the time of shipment.
What does the labelling term nama-chozō mean?
Nama-chozō is a sake that is stored unpasteurised but is pasteurised at the time of shipment.
What does the labelling term genshu mean?
A sake that has not had water added before bottling. These sakes can be a little higher in alcohol but the brewer can also manage the ferment so that it finishes in the normal range of 15-17% abv.
Of the terms nama, nama-chozō, genshu, muroka, kimoto and yamahai, which are legally defined?
Nama
Nama-chozō
Genshu
Is yamahai a legally defined term?
No
Is kimoto a legally defined term?
No
Is nama a legally defined term?
Yes
Is nama-chozō a legally defined term?
Yes
Is genshu a legally defined term?
Yes
Is muroka a legally defined term?
No
What is kake?
An abbreviation of kake-mai.
The rice used for the steamed rice that is not kōji. Once cooled, it is moved directly to the fermentation vessel.
What is kake-mai?
The rice used for the steamed rice that is not kōji. Once cooled, it is moved directly to the fermentation vessel.
Often abbreviated to kake.
What is the Japanese term for ‘sake meter value’?
Nihonshu-do
What is nihonshu-do?
Sake Meter Value or SMV
A measure of the density of sake in comparison to water.
Can be used as a rough measure of sweetness or dryness.
True or false:
On a label, Japanese laws allow producers to express abv as a range, rather than an exact figure (ie. 15-16%abv)
True
True or false:
On a label, producers are legally required to express abv as an exact figure (ie. 15.5%abv)
False.
It can be expressed as a range (ie. 15-16% abv)
What is kōbo?
Yeast
What is the Japanese term for yeast?
Kōbo
Is taru-zake a legally defined term?
Yes
Is koshu a legally defined term?
No, although legislation determines how age statements for koshu can be expressed
Is nigori a legally defined term?
No
Is kijōshu a legally defined term?
No
What does the labelling term nigori mean?
A sake that has been roughly filtered, or is a blend of roughly filtered and clear sake. The sake is cloudy because it has suspended particles of rice.
What does the labelling term koshu mean?
These sakes are aged for an extended period. They are often gold or amber in colour, and have complex aromas of honey, toast, nuts, dried fruit and pickled vegetables.
What does the labelling term kijōshu mean?
Nearly all sake have some unfermented sugar, but kijōshu have so much residual sugar that they can be described as sweet or luscious.
What does the labelling term taru-zake mean?
A sake that has been aged in a Japanese cedar barrel and picked up distinctive aromas.
Is there a widely used Japanese term for sparkling sake?
Not really. There is in Japan of course, but in export markets, effervescent or fizzy sake is simply called sparkling.
Is the nihonshu-do an accurate indication of sweetness?
Not really - it’s a rough indicator.
It is a measure of the relative density of sake in comparison to water. Both alcohol and sugar contribute to density.
What does a positive value on the nihonshu-do mean?
A normal to drier style sake.
What does a negative value on the nihonshu-do mean?
A sweeter style sake
What might a sake with a nihonshu-do value of -30 to -100 be labelled as?
Kijōshu - it is a sweeter style sake
What is the ‘normal’ range for sake on the nihonshu-do scale?
-2 to +8
What is the average nihonshu-do value?
+4
This is equivalent to approximately 17g/L
What does a nihonshu-do value of +4 correspond to in grams per litre?
Approximately 17 g/L
Is it common to have a SMV value higher than +10?
Not really - these sakes would be marketed on their dryness.
What is the compulsory information legally required on a sake label?
- the product category (either sei-shu or nihon-shu, both mean sake)
- alcohol content by volume (%abv)
- total volume of the container
- raw ingredients
- date produced (this is a translation from Japanese and generally refers to the date when the sake was bottled for sale, or a release date)
- brewery name and address (and country of origin if not from Japan)
What is sei-shu?
The Japanese word for sake
What is Heisei 30
2018
What is the Heisei year for 2018?
30
What is the brewing year or BY that is indicated on some labels?
1 July to 31st June
This is because sake is produced throughout the winter which crosses two calendar years.
Thus if 2018 is Heisei 30, a sake made in January 2019 could also be labelled BY30
What are some optional labellig terms that could be used for sake?
- Rice variety or varieties
- Age statement
- Production locally
- Terms indication production method or style
- Medals and awards
What does the labelling term ki-ippon mean?
A junmai sake that has been entirely produced at a single site.
Is ki-ippon a legally defined term?
Yes
What is the Japanese term for a junmai sake that has been entirely produced at a single site?
Ki-ippon
Are production localities legally registered as a Geographic Indication?
No.
The location generally indicates the location of the brewery rather than where the rice was grown, although these are sometimes the same.
What does mature or out-of-condition nama-zake smell like?
Malt
Bacon
Geranium
Spices
Then (nama-hine)
Sour milk
Rotting cheese
This is caused by the degradation of amino acids and the oxidisation caused by enzymes.
What does light damage smell like?
Musk/animal/sulphur compounds
Burnt hair
Burning flesh
What does microbial spoilage smell like?
Unpleasant sulphur compounds Rotting vegetables Compost Sour milk Rancid cheese Sticking plaster
Alcohol tolerant strains of lactic acid bacteria can produce volatile acids and diacetyl.
Can sake be corked?
Cork and oak are rarely used, so TCA or similiar are uncommon. However TCA can occur as wood is used extensively for sake buildings and equipment.
What aroma is present in isoamyl acetate?
Banana
Present in ginjō styles due to yeast stress during fermentation
What aroma is present in ethyl caproate?
Green apple or green melon
Present in ginjō styles due to yeast stress during fermentation
Which styles of sake would be most likely to have bacteria-derived aromas such as yoghurt or cheese?
Yamahai and kimoto, which rely on bacteria.
These aromas are generally avoided in other styles.
Rice contains so significant acids. How is acidity present in sake?
Created by microbes:
- lactobacillus in some types of yeast starter
- kōji mould activity
- yeast as a a side product of fermentation
or can be added to futsū-shu
What are the four main acids present in sake?
Lactic
Succinic
Glutamic
Malic
What is an amino acid?
Molecules that link together to make proteins
What is the % abv of a sake with low alcohol on the SAT?
Below 14% abv
What is the % abv of a sake with medium minus alcohol on the SAT?
14.0% - 15.4% abv
What is the % abv of a sake with medium alcohol on the SAT?
15.5% - 16.4% abv
What is the % abv of a sake with medium plus alcohol on the SAT?
16.5% - 17.4% abv
What is the % abv of a sake with high alcohol on the SAT?
17.5% abv and above
What is tanrei karakuchi?
A Japanese term for an overall impression of vibrant, refreshing, crisp dryness.
Tanrei = lightness, cleanness, sophistication Karakuchi = dryness
What is the Japanese tasting term for an overall impression of vibrant, refreshing, crisp dryness?
Tanrei karakuchi
What does the tasting term nigami mean?
Bitterness
Rarely found in sake and generally undesirable.
What is the Japanese tasting term for bitterness?
Nigami
Rarely found in sake and generally undesirable.
What does the tasting term shibumi mean?
Astringency
What is the Japanese tasting term for astringency?
Shibumi
What is the Japanese tasting term for roughness and lack of harmony?
Zatsumi
What does the tasting term zatsumi mean?
Unpleasant roughness and lack of harmony
What does the tasting term kire mean?
A short but clean/crisp/cleansing finish.
Kire takes great skill to achieve and is found in some ginjō and daiginjō (less likely in junmai ginjō and junmai daiginjō)
What is the Japanese tasting term for a short but clean/crisp/cleansing finish.
Kire
Kire takes great skill to achieve and is found in some ginjō and daiginjō (less likely in junmai ginjō and junmai daiginjō)
